Pete Hegseth: U.S. Assesses Aftermath of Iran Nuclear Site Attacks

(MENAFN) On Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the military is continuing to evaluate the outcome of its recent strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, emphasizing that the operation "took months and weeks of positioning" to carry out.

"Last night, on President (Donald) Trump's order, Central Command conducted precision strikes in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran -- Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan -- in order to destroy or severely damage Iran's nuclear program," Hegseth stated during a briefing at the Pentagon.

The operation, code-named Operation Midnight, was executed with overwhelming force, employing 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than 25 Tomahawk cruise missiles, and a fleet of over 125 aircraft, according to Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

While the final damage evaluation is still underway, preliminary reports suggest that all targeted sites were hit with precision and that the strikes had their intended effect, Hegseth noted.

Reacting to the offensive, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denounced the attack, declaring it evidence that the U.S. is the "main factor" driving Israel’s hostile stance toward Iran.

Echoing the condemnation, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that diplomacy is no longer a viable option, asserting that Iran has every right to defend itself. He added that the United States had "crossed a very big red line."

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