Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine delivered a detailed briefing on what they called one of the most complex and successful military operations in U.S. history. The strike, part of “Operation Midnight Hammer,” targeted Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility using GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each one precisely calibrated for angle, fuse setting, and impact location. General Caine said, “All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go.”
The officials rejected early media reports questioning the success of the mission. Hegseth singled out a leaked preliminary DIA assessment, calling it “a preliminary, low confidence report,” and noting that it included “multiple linchpin assumptions.” He warned that its release was part of an effort “to try to muddy the waters and make it look like this historic strike wasn’t successful.” He argued that “anyone with two eyes, some ears and a brain” could understand that a strike of this scale and precision would have a “devastating effect.”
They cited a range of external confirmations. Hegseth quoted the CIA director’s statement: “A body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s nuclear program has been severely damaged by recent targeted strikes.” He added that sources referenced were “historically reliable and accurate.” Officials also referenced comments from the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission, the U.N. Atomic Energy Agency, and even an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson who admitted, “Our nuclear infrastructure has been badly damaged, that’s for sure.”
General Caine also detailed the U.S. air defense effort that followed. At Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, just 44 U.S. soldiers manned two Patriot batteries to defend against incoming Iranian missiles. He called it “the largest, single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history,” describing how young officers had just seconds to make decisions with “strategic impact.” He credited both American and Qatari crews for “standing between a salvo of Iranian missiles and the safety of Al Udeid.”
The planning behind the strike spanned more than 15 years. According to Caine, two officers from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency had spent their careers studying the Fordow site, monitoring “every nook, every crater, every piece of equipment going in, and every piece of equipment going out.” He described the final outcome as the result of “hundreds of test shots” and “supercomputer hours” used to develop the right weapon. “They literally dreamed about this target at night when they slept,” he said.
Officials emphasized that while full intelligence assessments are still ongoing, key indicators are already clear. Caine stated: “We know that the trailing jets saw the first weapons function and the pilot stated, ‘This was the brightest explosion that I’ve ever seen. It literally looked like daylight.’” As for the emotional weight of the mission, he shared that when the crews returned to Whiteman Air Force Base, “there were a lot of flags and a lot of tears.”
Asked whether Iran moved enriched uranium before the strike, officials said they had seen no such intelligence. On the question of internal pressure to exaggerate the outcome, General Caine replied, “No, I have not and no, I would not.” He added, “My job as a chairman is to offer a range of options… and go execute them.”
Hegseth closed by framing the operation as a turning point. “Call it destroyed, call it defeated, call it obliterated, choose your word. This was an historically successful attack.” While he acknowledged that Iran might make defiant public statements, he insisted that the mission created “an opportunity to prevent a nuclear Iran” and “a chance to have peace.”