Pentagon: Iran’s nuclear program “obliterated” by US airstrikes

U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has asserted that recent American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have entirely eliminated the Islamic Republic's ability to develop nuclear weapons.

Hegseth made the declaration in a written statement emailed to reporters, which was later published by President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

“Based on everything we have seen — and I’ve seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons,” Hegseth wrote. “Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target and worked perfectly. The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission.”

The U.S. military operation, codenamed “Midnight Hammer,” was launched on June 21. It involved 125 military aircraft in a coordinated assault on three of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear sites: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.

One of the most decisive actions of the operation was the deployment of 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) — powerful bunker-busting bombs — against the Fordo uranium enrichment facility. Located deep beneath a mountain near Tehran, Fordo is considered one of the most heavily protected elements of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

The U.S. strike was carried out amid a rapidly intensifying regional conflict. Tensions escalated on June 13 when Israel launched a surprise offensive against multiple Iranian military and nuclear targets, claiming Iran was on the verge of producing a nuclear weapon. Iran has consistently denied any intention to build nuclear arms, maintaining that its program is strictly for civilian purposes.

In response to the Israeli strikes, Iran retaliated with missile attacks on Israeli territory, triggering a dramatic exchange of fire between the two regional powers.

The conflict, now referred to as the “12 Day War,” came to a temporary halt on the evening of June 23, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire.

By Tamilla Hasanova