On Sunday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses indicated that Iran might need to confront both a negotiated peace and a potential escalation of conflict with the U.S. following attacks on three of its nuclear facilities the previous day.
“Now is the time to move forward for peace,” Hegses stated during a Pentagon briefing alongside Dan Razin, the co-chairman of Kane.
“I think Tehran is aware that a plane traveled overnight from Missouri in the middle of America,” he added, hinting at the scale of the operation.
Kane shared that while damage assessments were still underway, the three targeted nuclear sites suffered significant destruction. Trump labeled one of the facilities as “eliminated” after the strikes.
Following the attack, Iran’s response seemed dismissive of diplomacy, referring to the incident as Operation Midnight Hammer.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragachi commented, “The events this morning are incredible and will have eternal consequences,” in a social media post shortly after the strike.
He stated that Iran is prepared to exercise its rights to defend itself and its sovereignty, in line with the UN Charter.
Hegses characterized the operation as limited but echoed Trump’s warning regarding possible future retaliation from Iran, which he suggested could be much more forceful than the recent strikes.
The Pentagon chief emphasized that the goal wasn’t regime change but rather aimed at hindering Iran’s nuclear development timeline.
Kane revealed new insights during the briefing, describing the operation as potentially the largest B-2 bomber mission in history.
According to Kane, the U.S. dropped 75 guided munitions across nuclear enrichment and research sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This included 14 bunker-buster bombs, marking their first operational deployment, along with two dozen Tomahawk missiles launched from submarines. The mission involved a total of 125 aircraft.
The B-2 bombers conducted a non-stop mission lasting 37 hours from a Missouri base and were refueled mid-flight. Kane also mentioned that a group of bombers was sent west over the Pacific as a decoy.
The strikes occurred in a window between 6:40 PM and 7:05 PM Eastern time, with Trump making an announcement about 45 minutes later.
Reportedly, the U.S. military went undetected in Iranian airspace, with Kane stating that no defensive actions were reported against American aircraft.
“Through the mission, we maintained an element of surprise,” he asserted.
Hegses noted that Congress was only informed after the aircraft completed their payload drop and exited Iranian airspace.
Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about the administration potentially breaching the Constitution, which mandates congressional approval for military actions abroad.
Senator Thomas Massey (R-KY) expressed his disapproval, stating, “This is not constitutional,” in response to the news. Massey had sponsored a resolution earlier in the week calling for congressional authorization for strikes against Iran.
Meanwhile, Vice President Vance, who has a history of skepticism toward foreign interventions, praised the military’s actions. “What they did accomplished a crucial American national goal. Iran must not possess a nuclear weapons program,” he stated during an ABC News interview.
