Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Jun 23: Operation ‘Midnight Hammer,’ the US military’s largest coordinated strike against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, was executed with stealth and precision, according to details shared by Pentagon officials on Sunday.
While a visible group of B-2 bombers was seen heading toward Guam—deliberately drawing international attention—the real strike team of seven B-2 stealth bombers flew east from Missouri, undetected for 18 hours. Maintaining radio silence and refuelling mid-air, the aircraft zeroed in on Iran’s three key nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
The operation, involving over 125 US aircraft, included a coordinated launch of more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles from a submarine as the bombers approached. Fighter jets flew ahead as decoys, shielding the stealth bombers from Iranian radar.
The B-2s dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators — bunker-busting bombs, each weighing 30,000 pounds — in what Pentagon officials described as the second-longest B-2 mission ever conducted, following operations after the 9/11 attacks.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran's defenses were completely bypassed. “Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission. We retained the element of surprise,” he said.
While he stopped short of confirming the complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear capability, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was unequivocal. “It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program,” he declared.
The mission’s secrecy extended to Washington, with even many senior US officials only learning of the operation from President Trump’s social media post late Saturday. Caine revealed that the actual strike plan came together within weeks, though military preparedness had been in the works for months.
Amid fears of escalation, Gulf states hosting US forces were placed on high alert. The US military has also dispersed its assets across the region and heightened defense protocols for American troops.
The Biden administration has maintained that it is not seeking a broader conflict. “We’re positioned to defend and to respond,” Hegseth said, while confirming private messages were sent to Tehran urging restraint.
Still, Trump’s warning stood clear. “Iran would be smart to heed those words,” Hegseth reiterated. “He said it before, and he means it.”