Latest news with #TomahawkLandAttackMissiles
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘You cheer against Trump so hard': Hegseth scolds Iran nuclear strike reporting with no proof of ‘devastation'
The former Fox News weekend presenter who now serves as the head of the massive American defense establishment baselessly accused the Pentagon press corps — including one of his former colleagues — of deliberately trying to cast doubt on the success of last weekend's U.S. airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites out of a desire to undermine the Trump administration in a bizarre rant-filled press conference aimed at the Pentagon on Thursday. Speaking alongside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon briefing room, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth laid into the assembled reporters from the start by grousing about how news outlets hadn't given President Donald Trump enough credit for NATO members' decision to increase defense spending to an annual five percent of GDP at this week's summit in The Hague. He also accused them of missing 'historic moments' while trying to 'find wedges and spin stories' before claiming the airstrikes aimed at Iran's Esfahan, Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites on Saturday had been 'the most complex and secretive military operation in history' and 'a resounding success.' The airstrikes, which were conducted by seven B-2 Spirit bomber aircraft with the aid of numerous fighters and an Ohio-class guided missile submarine that fired dozens of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles at one of the target sites, appear to have inflicted significant damage on the sites. But Hegseth and President Donald Trump have become increasingly irate over press coverage of the action because of reporting in the last few days which cited a preliminary report stating that the damage to the underground Fordow site wasn't enough to match their claims to have 'obliterated' the facilities. Hegseth complained that the press had reported on the preliminary document and cited other more recent statements from some of Trump's political appointees which assessed that the strikes had 'severely damaged' Iran's nuclear program before returning to attacking journalists and accusing them of wanting the military to fail because it would look bad for Trump. 'You cheer against Trump so hard, it's like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump,' he said. 'Because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes.' 'You have to hope maybe they weren't effective, maybe the way the Trump administration is representing them isn't true. So let's take half truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it, spin it in every way we can, to try to cause doubt and manipulate the mind, the public mind over whether or not our brave pilots were successful,' he added. The ex-Fox News host's combative demeanor at the early-morning press conference matched the performative outrage he displayed alongside Trump less than a day before, when he called the bombing mission 'flawless' and said the 30,000 pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator weapons dropped onto the hardened Fordow site had created 'devastation underneath' before attacking the motives of the Defense Intelligence Agency analysts who'd written the intelligence assessment and accusing news outlets that have reported on it of 'trying to spin it to make the president look bad when this was an overwhelming success.' It appeared to find favor with Trump, who posted on Truth Social that the briefing was 'one of the greatest, most professional, and most 'confirming' News Conferences' he'd ever seen and said the news outlets that reported on the DIA assessment should 'fire everyone involved.' But what he and Joint Chiefs chair General Dan Caine did not provide during the combative session with reporters was any information on whether the U.S. knows the location of the enriched uranium that was previously thought to be stored at Fordow. Several reporters asked him about the uranium, which is feared to have been moved from the facility in trucks seen in satellite photos in the days leading up to the airstrikes. 'We're looking at all aspects of intelligence and making sure we have a sense of what was where,' he said. When pressed further, Hegseth said: 'I'm not aware of any intelligence that I've reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be moved or otherwise.' He also claimed that 'anyone with two eyes' could see the MOP munitions dropped onto Fordow and another target site would have had a 'devastating effect.' For his part Caine, said the bunker-buster bombs 'went exactly where they were intended to go' and pointed out that the weapons don't leave a traditional impact crater 'because they're designed to deeply bury and then function.' 'I know there's been a lot of questions about that all six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go,' he said. He explained how two American officers had spent 15 years working in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to gather intelligence on Iran's nuclear facilities that was put to use in the airstrikes on Saturday. According to the general, the pair spent years watching Iran build the facilities, watching all the equipment going in, and working out what they were for. They also helped develop the bunker busting bombs used to destroy the facilities, including one at Fordow. 'Operation Midnight Hammer was the culmination of those 15 years of incredible work,' he said.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump says Iran strikes ‘spectacular military success' and warns ‘bully' Iran to ‘make peace' or face ‘greater' attacks
President Donald Trump on Saturday said the 'mass precision strikes' carried out by American bombers on a trio of Iranian nuclear facilities had been successful and warned that more of the same could be on the table if Tehran does not return to negotiations. Speaking from the Cross Hall in the White House and flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio, the ex-Florida senator who serves as his national security adviser as well as Secretary of State, the president described the airstrikes as 'a spectacular military success' and said the three facilities targeted by U.S. warplanes had been 'completely and totally obliterated.' 'Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,' he said. Trump thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli forces for the 'wonderful job' they've done during a week-long campaign to take out much of Iran's nuclear and military capabilities, and said the Israeli operation — along with tonight's American airstrikes — had 'gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel' from the Iranian nuclear program. He also warned Tehran that their aggression in the region and their nuclear ambitions 'cannot continue' and cautioned Iranian leaders not to retaliate. 'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill, most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes,' he said. The president's remarks came just hours after he took to Truth Social to announce that U.S. forces had struck Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz and Esfahan, as well as the Fordow enrichment facility hidden in a mountain near the city of Qom, ending days of speculation over whether he'd order American forces to join Israel's week-old campaign to knock out Tehran's nuclear weapons program with a surprise attack aimed at bringing Iranian officials back to the negotiating table. The Natanz and Esfahan sites were hit by a salvo of 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles — cruise missiles with a range of at least 1,000 miles — fired from American submarines, while the Fordow site, which is located hundreds of feet underground, required as many as six 30,000 munitions known as Massive Ordnance Penetrators, which are referred to by the Air Force designation GBU-57A/B. Those so-called bunker-buster bombs were designed specifically to attack and destroy hardened facilities such as Fordow, especially those that could house weapons of mass destruction. The bombs used against Fordow were dropped from B-2 Spirit stealth bombers flying out of Whitman Air Force Base in Missouri. Iranian officials have confirmed the attacks on all three facilities, with the missile strikes on Esfahan and Natanz facilities coming at approximately 2:30 am local time on Sunday. They did not describe the extent of any damage to the facilities, but the Tasnim news agency — an outlet affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps — said a spokesperson for the Emergency Committee of Qom acknowledged that 'parts' of the Fordow facility had been 'bombed.' While Tehran has thus far refrained from targeting U.S. facilities or personnel during Israel's week-long campaign, despite Israeli forces receiving a level of American defensive assistance, the surprise attack by American warplanes raises the possibility that Iran will react by going after American interests in the Middle East, or by activating proxy forces in the region or even going so far as to activate sleeper cells that could be present in or near the United States. The attack on the Iranian facilities marks a significant departure from Trump's vow not to launch what he has described as a 'forever war' in the Middle East along the lines of the failed Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns launched in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington. The president had been publicly vacillating on whether to authorize U.S. forces to enter the Iranian-Israeli conflict against Iran's nuclear sites, and on Thursday he issued a statement through White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claiming he was giving Tehran 'two weeks' to negotiate and avoid American involvement in the conflict by giving up its nuclear weapons program. But The Independent understands that Trump's public invitations for further talks between Tehran and Washington were a feint aimed at lulling Iranian officials into a false sense of security. In fact, he had largely green-lit the attacks over the last two days based on U.S. and Israeli officials' belief that only American weapons could be effective against the hardened Iranian facilities, particularly the Fordow facility on account of its underground location. He was also swayed in large part by Israel's success at degrading Iran's air defense and offensive missile capabilities, opening a hole for American warplanes and cruise missiles. At the same time, he dismissed the official assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, which has long maintained that Iran had not been actively building or seeking to build a nuclear weapon even as it spun up enrichment of uranium at levels not consistent with the country's status as a non-nuclear weapons state. On Friday, he claimed Tehran could produce a working weapon within 'a matter of weeks' while offering no evidence, telling reporters the country had assembled a 'tremendous amount' of nuclear material, which he said could permit the Islamic Republic to produce a working weapon 'within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months.' 'We can't let that happen,' he said. The president returned to Washington on Saturday to oversee the operation from the White House Situation Room. It's unlikely that American involvement in the conflict will go beyond airstrikes despite Trump's willingness to use some American capabilities to aid Israel's effort to destroy Iran's nuclear program, but Trump issued another warning to Tehran shortly after his televised remarks. Writing on Truth Social in all capital letters, he said: 'ANY RETALIATION BY IRAN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT'
Hindustan Times
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
What are bunker buster bombs? US uses MOP, its largest non-nuclear missile, to strike Iran
The United States used its most powerful conventional weapon—the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), or bunker buster bomb—in a high-impact military operation targeting Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordow on Saturday. FILE - In this photo released by the U.S. Air Force on May 2, 2023, airmen look at a GBU-57, or the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri.(File Photo/AP) US President Donald Trump, who in a social media post suggested, 'Fordow is gone,' said that the attack targeted nuclear sites in Natanz and Esfahan too. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow." Trump said, confirming that all planes are now outside of Iran air space. Follow Israel Iran war live updates. In an interview with Fox News, Trump further revealed operational details, saying that six MOP bunnker buster bombs—each weighing 30,000 pounds—were deployed on Fordow. Meanwhile, 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) were fired by US Navy submarines to target Natanz and Esfahan, which he claimed 'destroyed all three nuclear facilities completely.' Also Read | 'Either peace or tragedy': What Donald Trump said in speech after US strikes on Iran | Top quotes The Fordow facility, long suspected of housing uranium enrichment infrastructure deep within the mountains near Qom, is widely considered one of Iran's most fortified nuclear sites. Analysts believed it can only be effectively penetrated by the MOP, a weapon exclusively in the US arsenal. What is the MOP and why is it so powerful? The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US inventory. Built by Boeing and guided by GPS, it is engineered specifically to target deeply buried and hardened bunkers. According to a US air force fact sheet cited by CBS News, the MOP measures 20.5 feet in length and 31.5 inches in diameter, and weighs just under 30,000 pounds—including 5,300 pounds of high-explosive material. The bomb can burrow more than 200 feet through reinforced concrete before detonating. Its casing, made from high-performance steel alloy, helps it withstand the immense impact forces upon penetration. The Air Force notes the MOP's explosive yield is more than 10 times greater than that of its predecessor, the BLU-109. Because of its size and weight, only the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is capable of carrying and deploying the MOP. The B-2's stealth capability allows it to evade radar and air defenses, making it the ideal platform for strikes on heavily protected sites like Fordow. Each B-2 can carry up to two MOPs in its internal weapons bay. 'Only the US could have done this' Defense analysts have long argued that Fordow's deeply buried infrastructure—shielded by 60 to 90 meters of rock—would require a weapon like the MOP to neutralize. 'Each bunker buster can be independently targeted and released, making it possible to deliver a MOP right on top of another MOP,' Bloomberg quoted Rebecca Grant of the Lexington Institute. She added that US drone surveillance likely played a role in refining the final strike coordinates. Grant also emphasised that Fordow and other Iranian nuclear installations have been under US observation for years, helping planners build a precise targeting profile. The MOP was developed by Boeing under a Pentagon contract, with at least 20 units built by 2015.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Navy leaders look to expand munitions options as supplies run low
Navy leaders are looking for brand-new types of munitions to ensure they have enough firepower for future conflicts. During testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby acknowledged recent operations in the Red Sea 'have highlighted the strain on our munitions industrial base.' Officials are working to close that gap, but current production lines may not be sufficient for that resupply. 'Precision-guided, long-range munitions like Tomahawk, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, the heavyweight torpedo, all those ammunitions we need to increase production on,' he said. 'But I'm also of the mind that we need to look at other vendors. They may not be able to produce the same exact specifications, but they might be able to produce a missile that's effective, which is more effective than no missile.' Trump requests $892.6 billion base defense budget, a real-terms cut Kilby's comments come as lawmakers review the service's budget needs for fiscal 2026. Committee members expressed concerns with gaps in the country's shipbuilding industrial base, delays in submarine production and fleet readiness. But the munitions shortfalls drew extra attention, given recent military operations against Houthi forces in the Red Sea. U.S. forces carried out more than 1,100 strikes over roughly five weeks, using an estimated $1 billion in weapons. Last fall, before the recent operations, a report from the Heritage Foundation warned military efforts to resupply those types of munitions were already too slow. For example, the report noted that in fiscal 2023, industry suppliers produced fewer than 70 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. During a few months of skirmishes with Houthi forces in fall 2024, the service fired more than 125 of those missiles. 'God forbid, if we were in a short-term conflict, it would be short-term because we don't have enough munitions to sustain a long-term fight,' Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of the appropriations committee, warned during Wednesday's hearing. 'We need to do what we can to accelerate that [munitions replacement] process, because we're all very, very concerned.' Both Kilby and Navy Secretary John Phelan said they are working with traditional vendors on ways to speed replacements. Kilby did not specify which other companies he is interested in contacting for new munitions, or what the timeline for those purchases will be. 'If we go to war with China, it's going to be bloody and there's going to be casualties and it's going to take plenty of munitions,' he said. 'So our stocks need to be full.' White House officials have not offered specifics of the Navy's budget for fiscal 2026 yet, but have promised broad increases in spending to deal with emerging global threats.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US State Dept approves potential $2.19 billion sale of Tomahawk missiles to Netherlands
(Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and related equipment to the Netherlands for an estimated cost of $2.19 billion, the Pentagon said on Friday. The principal contractor for the sale will be RTX Corp, the Pentagon said in a statement.
