At a Sunday briefing, the Pentagon clarified that the U.S. offensive on three Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — was not intended to topple the Iranian government, but rather to precisely degrade its nuclear capabilities.
“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, reiterating comments from President Trump. Hegseth emphasized that the airstrikes were “intentionally limited,” and that Washington “does not seek war.”
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the operation, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” as a targeted effort. “Final battle damage will take some time, but initial assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” he said.
Gen. Caine added that U.S. forces carefully avoided striking Iranian military personnel or civilian populations, underscoring that the focus was squarely on disabling the nuclear infrastructure without opening a wider conflict.
Secretary Hegseth described some of the tactics used in the mission: B‑2 bombers were deployed from Missouri under the guise of a decoy, while fighter escorts helped shield the operation. A total of 14 bunker-buster bombs were dropped on deeply buried targets, he said, adding that the precision and coordination prevented detection by Iranian air defenses.
“The most powerful military in the world is postured and prepared to defend our people,” Hegseth said. He reiterated that the strikes were not open-ended, but asserted that the military remains ready to take further action — “if necessary.”
The Pentagon’s statements underscore an effort to frame the operation as a calibrated move aimed at containing threats, not igniting a broader war, while signaling readiness to respond if Iran retaliates.
