US details 'most secret and most complex military operation' targeting Iran's nuclear sites: Pentagon
Washington DC: The Pentagon on Thursday disclosed new details about the United States' secretive bombing operation targeting three Iranian nuclear sites, highlighting the crews involved and Iran's last-minute attempts to fortify the Fordow facility, CNN reported.
In a morning briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the raid "the most secret and most complex military operation in history." While few specifics were provided, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine outlined how the mission was conducted and shared rare details about the personnel and technology behind it.
According to CNN, the crews that flew the 37-hour mission included both men and women, ranging from captain to colonel, drawn from the US Air Force and the Missouri Air National Guard. Most were graduates of the elite Air Force Weapons School in Nevada.
"When the crews went to work on Friday, they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing when or if they'd be home," Caine said. "Late on Saturday night, their families became aware of what was happening." He added that when the bombers returned to Missouri, their families greeted them with "flags flying and tears flowing."
CNN also reported that days before the mission, Iran attempted to fortify the Fordow nuclear facility -- which is embedded deep in a mountain -- by pouring concrete over the ventilation shafts that US bombs would need to penetrate. "I won't share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap," Caine said. "But you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were. The planners had to account for this. They accounted for everything."
Despite these adjustments, Caine stated that the 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs used in the operation worked "as designed" and that trailing jets confirmed the weapons had functioned as intended. He also showed video footage of a bomb penetrating a bunker, with an orange glow and fireball emerging from the structure.
However, the Pentagon did not offer new intelligence to support President Donald Trump's claim that the strikes had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program. Caine and Hegseth referred questions regarding the effectiveness of the strikes to intelligence agencies.
"We don't grade our own homework," Caine said. "The intelligence community does."
While the Fordow facility was discussed in detail, the two other targets -- Natanz and Isfahan -- were not mentioned. At Fordow, Hegseth remarked that a full assessment would require "a big shovel," noting that "no one's under there able to assess" the damage yet.
An early assessment from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency, reported by CNN and other outlets, suggested the strikes did not destroy Iran's core nuclear capabilities and might have only set them back by months. CIA Director John Ratcliffe later said the facilities were destroyed and would need to be rebuilt over several years.
During the briefing, Hegseth continued to defend Trump's characterization of the operation, stating that assessments are still underway but calling it a "historically successful attack."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
3 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Trump hails Supreme Court's "monumental" order on birthright citizenship limiting nationwide injunctions
Washington: US President Donald Trump hailed Supreme Court's ruling to limit the ability of lower courts to issue nationwide orders that temporarily stop the government from enforcing a policy, allowing his executive order restricting birthright citizenship to go into effect in some areas of the country, for now, by curtailing judges' ability to block the president's policies nationwide, reported New York Times. The Supreme Court on Friday limited the ability of lower-court judges to block executive branch policies nationwide, opening the door for a majority of states to at least temporarily enforce President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship. President Donald Trump called the Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. CASA "monumental" and thanked the court for curbing injunctions from the briefing room podium, flanked by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. "This morning, the Supreme Court has delivered a monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law in striking down the excessive use of nationwide injunctions to interfere with the normal functioning of the executive branch," said Trump. Nationwide injunctions have frequently been used by lower courts to stop executive actions from applying across the board rather than just granting relief to plaintiffs who sued. Trump's actions had been the subject of 25 injunctions between the start of his term in January and the end of April, more than any other president over the same time period, according to data from the Congressional Research Service and a Harvard Law Review tally, reported New York Post. Trump went on to thank the conservative justices on the court -- including Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who authored the majority opinion -- and said this allows his administration to move ahead with "numerous polices" now that lower court judges have been limited in their ability to issue nationwide injunctions. "Radical-left judges effectively tried to overrule the rightful powers of the president, to stop the Americans people from getting the policies that they voted for in record numbers. So, thanks to this decision, we can now promptly file to proceed with these numerous policies and those that have been wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis, including birthright citizenship; ending sanctuary city funding, suspending refugee resettlement, freezing unnecessary funding, stopping federal taxpayers from paying for transgender surgeries and numerous other priorities of the American people. Our country should be very of the Supreme Court today," added Trump. Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. The right was enshrined soon after the Civil War in the Constitution's 14th Amendment. For now, the justices narrowed the lower court rulings to only block Trump's order as applied to the 22 Democratic-led states, expectant mothers and immigration organizations that are suing, "but only to the extent that the injunctions are broader than necessary to provide complete relief to each plaintiff with standing to sue." The justices ordered the lower courts to move "expeditiously" to refashion their injunctions to comply with the new ruling, reported The Hill. Though the court curtailed nationwide injunctions, the decision leaves the door open for plaintiffs to try to seek broad relief by pursuing class action lawsuits. Within hours, one group of plaintiffs quickly took the hint. Three federal judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state imposed sweeping injunctions halting the order from taking effect in response to lawsuits from plaintiffs including immigration groups and nearly two dozen states. A coalition of expectant mothers and immigration organizations suing asked a district judge in Maryland to issue a new ruling that applies to anyone designated as ineligible for birthright citizenship under Trump's order -- the same practical effect as a nationwide injunction, reported The Hill. The American Civil Liberties Union brought an entirely new lawsuit Friday seeking to do the same. The efforts could quickly bring the birthright citizenship battle back to the Supreme Court. The states have vowed to press ahead, believing that nationwide relief is still necessary. The majority also left the door open for plaintiffs to still try to seek broad relief by filing class action lawsuits, which quickly commenced in two separate cases. The Trump administration can now resume developing guidance to implement the order, though it must wait 30 days before attempting to deny citizenship to anyone, reported The Hill. Trump v CASA was the most high-profile proceeding before the Supreme Court this term, which has now wrapped up. The Supreme Court will convene for its next term on October 6.
Times of Oman
3 hours ago
- Times of Oman
UAE President, President of European Council discuss UAE-EU ties, regional developments
Abu Dhabi: UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received a phone call on Friday from Antonio Costa, President of the European Council. The call explored various aspects of cooperation between the UAE and the European Union and its member states, as well as ways to broaden these ties to deliver mutual benefits and progress. The two sides discussed ongoing negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and the European Union, highlighting its importance in advancing relations and supporting joint development goals. UAE President and the President of the European Council reviewed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern, with a particular focus on developments in the Middle East. They emphasised the urgent need for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to enable the delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of civilians. They also called for intensified international efforts to advance progress towards a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution. The two sides further underlined the vital importance of diplomacy and dialogue in resolving regional crises and safeguarding regional and global security and stability.
Times of Oman
3 hours ago
- Times of Oman
"Iran has to get back into world order flow...": US President Trump
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated how the nuclear sites in Iran were "obliterated" and said that Iran has to come back to the world order flow or else things could get worse for the country. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "Why would the so-called 'Supreme Leader,' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war-torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie? It is not so. As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie. His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life." "I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, "THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!" In fact, in the final act of the War, I demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran, looking for a big day, perhaps the final knockout! Tremendous damage would have ensued, and many Iranians would have been killed. It was going to be the biggest attack of the War, by far," he added. Trump further claimed that he had convinced Israel to bring back its large pool of fighter jets, which were heading toward Tehran. In fact, in the final act of the War, I demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran, looking for a big day, perhaps the final knockout! Tremendous damage would have ensued, and many Iranians would have been killed. It was going to be the biggest attack of the War, by far. During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery - The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more. Iran has to get back into the World Order flow, or things will only get worse for them," he said. Earlier on Friday (US local time), while holding a press briefing, the US President had restated his stance on the destruction of the nuclear sites in Iran and praised the military prowess of the United States in targeting the sites. Trump had remarked, "So Iran wants to meet. As you know, their sites were obliterated. They're very evil nuclear had some fake news for a little while. The same people that covered the Hunter Biden laptop was from came up with something that delayed the credit that our great pilots- what talent that was, and they (pilots) hit it right down in the spot- fifty-two thousand feet. Think of this- dark, no moon. You couldn't see a thing, and they hit the refrigerator door, as they say. That's the size of a target... We're the only ones that could have done it. And we took out the two of the other sites also. In addition to that, we finished them off." Trump added in his remarks, "That was a very evil intention. I believe that, and again, time will tell, but I don't believe that they're (Iran) going to go back into nuclear anytime soon. They spent over a trillion dollars on nuclear, and they never got it together." He noted that nothing was moved away from the nuclear sites. "It's very heavy material. Those cars were most likely the cars of masons because they were pouring concrete at the top of the hatch, going into the nuclear site. They wanted to reinforce it, and they had some masons there pouring concrete. By the way, that concrete was obliterated. It hit exactly at the concrete. It was, I don't think it had a chance to dry, but everything's down there. It's under millions of tons of rock."
