Hegseth, Pentagon Brass Praise Trump's 'spectacular' Military Success In Iran Nuclear Strikes

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of nan Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine held a property convention from nan Pentagon early Sunday greeting to relay specifications connected nan U.S. military's successful strikes connected Iranian atomic facilities.

"Last night, connected President Trump's orders, U.S. Central Command conducted a precision onslaught successful nan mediate of nan nighttime against 3 atomic accommodation successful Iran Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan successful bid to destruct aliases severely degrade Iran's atomic program," Hegseth said connected Sunday greeting from nan Pentagon. 

"It was an unthinkable and overwhelming success. The bid we received from our commandant successful main was focused. It was powerful, and it was clear we devastated nan Iranian atomic program. But it's worthy noting nan cognition did not target Iranian troops aliases nan Iranian group for nan entirety of his clip successful office," Hegseth continued. 

Trump announced nan U.S. had struck a trio of atomic accommodation successful Iran via a Truth Social station connected Saturday evening, that was not preceded by immoderate media leaks of anterior denotation specified strikes were imminent. 

The president ordered U.S. B-2 stealth bombers to transportation retired nan strikes against Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan atomic facilities.

TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON 'SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS' OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a property convention astatine nan Pentagon connected Sunday.  (Fox News / The Will Cain Show)

Five to six bunker-buster bombs struck nan Fordow atomic site, Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity soon aft announcing nan strikes Saturday night. 

The Isfahan facility, for illustration Fordow, is believed to beryllium built underground, and required precision targeting and extended intelligence to successfully strike, Fox News has reported. Meanwhile, 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against Natanz and Isfahan from U.S. submarines.

Trump later addressed nan federation from nan White House while flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, wherever he announced Iran's atomic accommodation had been "obliterated" and that nan state has been backed into a area and "must now make peace."

TRUMP DECLARES 'VERY SUCCESSFUL ATTACK' ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS US FORCES STRIKE 3 KEY SITES

"Iran's atomic enrichment accommodation person been wholly and wholly obliterated," Trump said. "And Iran, nan bully of nan Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not. early attacks would beryllium acold greater and a batch easier." 

US Vice President JD Vance, from left, US President Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, US caput of state, and Pete Hegseth, US caput of defense, during an reside to nan federation successful nan East Room of nan White House successful Washington, DC, US, connected Saturday, June 21, 2025. Trump said nan US subject struck 3 sites successful Iran connected Saturday, marking nan first American engagement successful nonstop attacks against Iranian atomic assets successful its conflict pinch Israel.  (Carlos Barria/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump had many times urged Iran to make a woody connected its atomic programme earlier striking its atomic facilities, but nan state pulled retired of ongoing talks pinch nan U.S. scheduled for June 15 successful Oman and refused to return to nan array successful nan days following. Israel preemptively ordered strikes connected Iran June 12 arsenic Israeli intelligence indicated Iran's atomic programme was quickly progressing. 

"A short clip ago, nan U.S. subject carried retired monolithic precision strikes connected nan 3 cardinal atomic accommodation successful nan Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan," Trump said during his address. "Everybody heard those names for years arsenic they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our nonsubjective was nan demolition of Iran's atomic enrichment capacity, and a extremity to nan atomic threat posed by nan world's number 1 authorities sponsor of terror. Tonight, I tin study to nan world that nan strikes were a spectacular subject success." 

TRUMP PROMISES TO RESPOND WITH 'FULL STRENGTH AND MIGHT' OF US MILITARY IF IRAN ATTACKS AMERICA

"For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They person been sidesplitting our people, blowing disconnected their arms, blowing disconnected their legs pinch roadside bombs," Trump continued. "That was their specialty. We mislaid complete a 1000 group and hundreds of thousands passim nan Middle East and astir nan world person died arsenic a nonstop consequence of their dislike successful particular."

The president said that nan U.S. worked for illustration a squad pinch Israel successful nan lead-up to nan strikes 

"I want to convey and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked arsenic a team, for illustration possibly nary squad has ever worked before, and we've gone a agelong measurement to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to convey nan Israeli subject for nan awesome occupation they've done. And astir importantly, I want to congratulate nan awesome American patriots who flew those magnificent machines coming and each of nan United States subject connected an cognition nan likes of which nan world has not seen successful many, galore decades," he said. 

President Donald J. Trump successful The Situation Room, June 21, 2025 (The White House via X)

Israel launched pre-emptive strikes connected Iran June 12 aft months of attempted and stalled atomic negotiations and consequent heightened interest that Iran was advancing its atomic program. Netanyahu declared soon afterward that nan strikes were basal to "roll backmost nan Iranian threat to Israel's very survival."

The Saturday evening strikes were unexpected connected Saturday evening, arsenic Trump connected Thursday said he would make a determination connected Iran wrong nan adjacent 2 weeks, suggesting specified a onslaught would not unfold complete nan weekend. While six B-2 bombers that were spotted heading westbound from Missouri toward Guam connected Saturday day are now seen arsenic apt decoys and portion of nan "misleading tidbits put retired location to propose that possibly President Trump had had put disconnected nan decision," Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin said during an quality Saturday evening arsenic news collapsed of nan strikes. 

"Those six B-2 bombers that were heading westbound toward Guam, they would not person made it to Iran successful clip to return portion successful this strike," she said while speaking pinch Fox News' Bret Baier Saturday evening. "So, that suggests to maine that location was an further B-1 package that possibly flew eastward from Whiteman Air Force Base. Again, this was each portion of nan deception. There was a awesome woody of benignant of misleading tidbits put retired location to propose that possibly President Trump had put disconnected nan determination and that this would hap 2 weeks from now."

Trump earned bipartisan praise from Congressional lawmakers for taking action to forestall Iran, nan world’s starring sponsor of terrorism, from achieving atomic capabilities. 

Other members of Congress, however, simultaneously criticized Trump for not asking for Congressional support up of nan subject strikes and raised concerns of nan consequence of war.

ISRAEL’S ACTIONS AGAINST IRAN CREATE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY FOR US IN NUCLEAR TALKS, EXPERTS SAY

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has yet to remark connected nan strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said that diplomacy is an improbable action successful nan aftermath of nan U.S. strikes. 

Iranian flags alert arsenic occurrence and fume from an Israeli onslaught connected Sharan Oil depot rise, pursuing Israeli strikes connected Iran, successful Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

"Last week, we were successful negotiations pinch nan US erstwhile Israel decided to rustle up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks pinch nan E3/EU erstwhile nan US decided to rustle up that diplomacy," Araghchi wrote connected X. "What conclusion would you draw?"

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Araghchi said he’ll recreation to Moscow later connected Sunday to meet pinch Russian President Vladimir Putin, pinch whom Iran enjoys "a strategical partnership."