“Operation Midnight Hammer” included seven B-2 bombers with two crew members each, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force General Dan Caine said during a press conference Sunday morning, outlining the strikes against three of Iran’s nuclear sites.
Each B-2 completed 18-hour flights with multiple in-air refuelings, according to Caine, who called it a “deliberate and precise strike” as well as a “highly classified mission.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the operation “bold and brilliant,” saying that it illustrated President Donald Trump’s “commitment to peace through strength.”
Hegseth insisted that the operation was strictly focused on nuclear sites and was not targeting civilians.
The press conference came after Trump announced Saturday night that the United States had carried out a “very successful” attack on three key Iranian nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Why It Matters
The U.S. strikes on Iran mark a new level of American involvement following weeks of escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
Israel initially struck Tehran and several other cities in “Operation Rising Lion,” a campaign it said was meant to preempt a planned Iranian attack and disrupt Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Iran, which has said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, has since retaliated, though Israeli defense systems—bolstered by U.S. military technology—have intercepted about 99 percent of incoming missile fire, according to Israeli officials on Saturday morning in an X, formerly Twitter, post. Iran hit a hospital in southern Israel on Thursday, and local reports noted that buildings in Tel Aviv were on fire from Iranian missiles on Friday.
The U.S. is Israel’s closest ally, providing billions of dollars in military aid annually.
Meanwhile, many politicians on both sides have criticized Trump’s decision to strike Iran without congressional approval.
What To Know
“Operation Midnight Hammer” saw the first deployment of the massive ordinance penetrator (MOP), Hegseth told reporters on Sunday morning. It also saw the second longest flight in U.S. military history.
He explained that the operation required “precision” and “misdirection,” saying the bombers were “in and out and back without the world knowing at all.”
The operation started with a distraction, having multiple aircrafts fly from Missouri over the Pacific as a ruse while the other B-2’s were en route to Iran.
The strikes began at 6:40 p.m. ET Saturday, 2:10 a.m. Iran time, Caine said.
Caine said the first target, Fordow, was hit with 2 GBU-57 MOP weapons, while another 14 of those weapons were dropped on the other two nuclear target areas.
“All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. Eastern Time again, that’s about 2:10 in the morning local time in Iran, with the Tomahawk missiles being the last to strike Isfahan to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation,” he said.
Around 20 GBU-57 were created by the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reported, meaning there should be four left following the operation.
Those weapons, referred to as “bunker buster” bombs were created to hit underground targets.
“U.S. forces employed approximately 75 precision guided weapons during this operation,” Caine said who explained that a U.S. submarine launched more than two dozen land attack cruise missiles on Natanz and Isfahan. Tomahawk missiles were last to strike at Isfahan.
Caine said he was “unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. strike package on the way in.”
What People Are Saying
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during Sunday morning’s press conference: “The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back when this president speaks, the world should listen and the U.S. military, we can back it up. The most powerful military the world has ever known. No other country on planet Earth could have conducted the operation that the chairman is going to outline this morning.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine said during the Sunday morning press conference: “Our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice. We will defend ourselves. The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority. This mission demonstrates the unmatched coordination and capability of the United States military in just a matter of weeks this went from strategic planning to global execution.”
What Happens Next?
While officials believe the sites suffered massive damage, they are still working to determine the extent, while reaction continues to pour out from international leaders as well as U.S. politicians.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must decide on whether or not to retaliate for the U.S. strikes and whether to continue with negotiations in some form.
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