Pentagon Reveals How B-2 Bombers Struck Iran Nuclear Sites

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U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.

U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, 22 June 2025, that “Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated,” hours after the United States attacked three major nuclear enrichment facilities.

Defence Secretary Hegseth said “this mission was not, has not been about regime change” but rather about addressing threats posed by Iran’s nuclear program. 

“The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interest posed by the Iranian nuclear programme and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally Israel,” he said during an early morning press conference.

Hegset added: "As President Trump stated, the United States does not seek war, but let me be clear: we will act quickly and decisively when our people, our partners, or our interests are threatened. Iran must listen to the President of the United States and know that he means every word."

President Trump "seeks peace," Hegset emphasised. He added that Iran "must choose this path."

Senior Pentagon officials revealed new details about the U.S. operation to bomb three nuclear sites in Iran, with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff saying it was the "largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history" and inflicted "extremely severe damage and destruction" to the targets.

"This was a highly classified mission with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of this plan," Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman, said in a briefing at the Pentagon Sunday morning detailing the strikes against the Iranian nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

Caine said the mission, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, included seven B-2 Spirit bombers that flew east from their base in MIssouri to Iran. The 18-hour flight required multiple in-flight refuelings, and the bombers met up with U.S. fighter jets and support aircraft once over land in the Middle East in a "complex, tightly timed maneuver," Caine said.

We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. strike package on the way in," Caine said.

At about 6:40 p.m. ET, or 2:10 a.m. in Iran, the lead B-2 dropped two "bunker-buster" bombs known as the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, or MOPs, on the site at Fordo. Over the next 25 minutes, Caine said, a total of 14 MOPs would be dropped on two target areas. The Tomahawk missiles landed at Isfahan after bombs were dropped on the two other sites. Caine said no shots were fired at the planes as they left Iranian airspace.

"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," Caine said.

"More than 125 U.S. aircraft participated in this mission," Caine said, including the B-2 bombers, fighter jets, refueling planes and surveillance aircraft. More than 75 precision-guided weapons were used in the attack.

"Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," Caine said, noting that a full assessment will take time.

The chairman warned Iran against taking any retaliatory action for the strikes.

"Our 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," Caine said. "We will defend ourselves."

President Donald Trump announced late on Saturday, 21 June 2025, that United States forces had struck Iran’s three principal nuclear sites, warning Tehran that it would face further devastating attacks if it did not agree to peace.

Iranian Foreign Minster Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the United States had “opted for a dangerous military operation and aggression against the people of Iran” and that it reserved “all options” to defend itself.

Araghchi condemned the U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in the “strongest terms”, accusing Washington of betraying diplomatic efforts and asserting that Iran reserved “all options” to act in self-defense.

Israel and Iran traded fire for a 10th day Sunday. Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli air defenses and struck buildings in central Israel during two volleys of attacks, the IDF said. Iranian state media reported deaths and injuries from Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Sunday, while the IDF said it was striking military targets in western Iran.



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