{"id":48237,"date":"2025-06-22T13:36:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T13:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/06\/22\/pentagon-leaders-hail-successful-iran-strikes-but-wary-of-retaliation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:04:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:04:46","slug":"pentagon-leaders-hail-successful-iran-strikes-but-wary-of-retaliation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2025\/06\/22\/pentagon-leaders-hail-successful-iran-strikes-but-wary-of-retaliation\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon leaders hail successful Iran strikes but wary of retaliation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/18\/hegseth-says-army-base-renamings-will-move-ahead-despite-concerns\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/18\/hegseth-says-army-base-renamings-will-move-ahead-despite-concerns\/\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a> on Sunday insisted that U.S. officials are not seeking regime change in Iran following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/06\/22\/us-strikes-3-iranian-nuclear-sites-trump-says\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/06\/22\/us-strikes-3-iranian-nuclear-sites-trump-says\/\">American military airstrikes<\/a> against nuclear facilities there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he warned that any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/18\/us-troops-bases-in-middle-east-could-be-targets-in-conflict-with-iran\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/18\/us-troops-bases-in-middle-east-could-be-targets-in-conflict-with-iran\/\">response for those actions<\/a> \u201cwill be met with force far greater than what was witnessed\u201d this weekend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike and had the desired effect,\u201d Hegseth told reporters during an early morning press conference hours after the military assault. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe believe we achieved destruction of capabilities there. \u2026 It would be a very bad idea for Iran or its proxies to attempt to attack American forces [in response].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The airstrikes \u2014 dubbed<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/22\/us-strikes-on-iran-draw-support-from-gop-leaders-concerns-from-dems\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/22\/us-strikes-on-iran-draw-support-from-gop-leaders-concerns-from-dems\/\"> Operation Midnight Hammer <\/a>\u2014 began early morning Saturday, with American B-2 stealth bombers launched from the U.S. homeland for a highly classified mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once in air, part of the group flew west toward a destination reported to be Guam, while seven others diverted east.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/22\/us-strikes-on-iran-draw-support-from-gop-leaders-concerns-from-dems\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"213\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25173426487477.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US strikes on Iran draw support from GOP leaders, concerns from Dems<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Saturday&#039;s attack on Iran nuclear sites is expected to spur new congressional discussions about presidential war powers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shortly after the aircraft joined escort fighters over the airspace of Iran \u2014 their actual destination \u2014 American submarines launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Iranian sites. Within hours, the bombers had dropped 14 massive ordnance penetrators, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/06\/22\/here-are-the-bunker-buster-bombs-used-on-irans-fordo-nuclear-facility\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/06\/22\/here-are-the-bunker-buster-bombs-used-on-irans-fordo-nuclear-facility\/\">30,000-pound bunker busting bombs<\/a> that had never before been used in combat, and the missiles had reached their targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1073\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25168317833252.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-109539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25168317833252.jpg.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25168317833252.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25168317833252.jpg.jpg?resize=768,402 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25168317833252.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,537 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25168317833252.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,805 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Airmen look at a GBU-57, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, at Whiteman Air Base, Missouri, in 2023. (U.S. Air Force via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In total, the operation targeted at three of Iran\u2019s main nuclear sites involved 125 American aircraft, 75 precision weapons and a bevy of other military assets still in motion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With it, the United States has taken the enormous bet that setting back Iran\u2019s nuclear program is worth the risk of another widespread conflict in the Middle East, especially if the retaliation from Iran\u2019s military causes major damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Central Command has been preparing for a potential attack from Iran after the unprecedented direct strike, which could more deeply involve the U.S. in a war that began little more than a week ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice,\u201d said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, who spoke alongside Hegseth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon\u2019s battle damage assessments are still early, but initial returns are that \u201call three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,\u201d Caine said of the nuclear infrastructure targeted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leading up to Saturday, Trump had vacillated on whether to join the war in Iran. Israel\u2019s own airstrikes had successfully targeted Iranian leadership, but they didn\u2019t carry the needed firepower for more lasting damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United States military had the only weapons thought capable of destroying Iran\u2019s best defended nuclear sites, in particular the Fordo complex dug into a mountain and reinforced with heavy concrete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1052\" height=\"681\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MidnightHammer.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-110368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MidnightHammer.jpg.jpg 1052w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MidnightHammer.jpg.jpg?resize=300,194 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MidnightHammer.jpg.jpg?resize=768,497 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MidnightHammer.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,663 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1052px) 100vw, 1052px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Petnagon officials released this graphic timeline on June 22, 2025, regarding the military operation against Iranian nuclear sites hours earlier. (Defense Department)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But by late last week, after days of deliberation, the White House had said the president may take up to two weeks to decide whether to directly join the airstrikes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those questions ended with Saturday\u2019s operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight, not even close,\u201d Trump said in late-night remarks Saturday from the White House. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By involving its own military in that fight, though, the U.S. opens itself up to a new level of risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">America has 40,000 forces in the region, up from its usual number of 30,000 while responding to the ongoing crisis, according to the Pentagon. Many of its major bases, including Central Command\u2019s regional headquarters, are located on the Persian Gulf, within range of Iran\u2019s massive store of ballistic and cruise missiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caine on Sunday declined to give specifics on what force protection measures were being put in place to enhance security for U.S. personnel in the region or across the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re being proactive and not reactive, and being very thoughtful about ensuring that we do all that we can to protect our forces out there,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than any other foreign policy issue thus far, the question of whether to directly attack Iran has split Trump\u2019s coalition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More traditional defense hawks in Congress \u2014 such as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Roger Wicker, R-Miss., \u2014 supported the strikes and have called for a robust defense of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But many members of the Republican Party\u2019s newer MAGA wing were vocally critical, warning that U.S. involvement risked another protracted war in the Middle East without clear goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Sunday, Hegseth said the operation\u2019s intent was to set back Iran\u2019s nuclear program and purposefully avoided certain targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe scope of this was intentionally limited,\u201d Hegseth said, while denying that the mission was \u201copen ended.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s own director of national intelligence testified earlier this year that Iran\u2019s nuclear program isn\u2019t yet being weaponized, though Trump later dismissed the assessment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen,\u201d Trump said of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strikes Saturday follow a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/06\/19\/how-the-us-has-shifted-military-jets-and-ships-in-the-middle-east\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/06\/19\/how-the-us-has-shifted-military-jets-and-ships-in-the-middle-east\/\">rapid military buildup in the Middle East<\/a>, with America rushing warships, fighter jets and other support equipment to the region ahead of the attack. The surge continues a pattern that\u2019s repeated itself in the year and a half since Israel\u2019s war began in Gaza, following a raid by the terrorist group Hamas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon rushed military equipment into the theater to contain a wider regional war, twice defending Israel from what were then unprecedented airstrikes from Iran in April and October last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the attack Saturday, the U.S. has now decided to take part in such a war, accepting the risk of entanglement when Iran likely strikes back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, Hegseth argued that the nature of the operation, with U.S. bombers flying from the homeland and hitting Iranian sites undetected, would itself send a signal of how the U.S. would respond to further attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe believe that will have a clear psychological impact on how they view the future,\u201d he said of Tehran\u2019s government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The operation against Iran involved 125 American aircraft, 75 precision weapons and a bevy of other U.S. military assets. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[39,160,11,33,47,36,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3458,3424],"class_list":["post-48237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air-warfare","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-home","category-mideast-africa","category-newsletters","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"E3XEBDCY7ND2VPJVTK4LM426BA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2025\/06\/22\/pentagon-leaders-hail-successful-iran-strikes-but-wary-of-retaliation\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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