Pentagon shares details behind 'highly classified' strike on Iran and how stealth bombers traveled ‘without the world knowing’
Topics: Iran, Donald Trump, World News
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Topics: Iran, Donald Trump, World News
The Pentagon has shared details of its 'strike package' after President Donald Trump confirmed that the US bombed three of Iran's key nuclear sites.
The Department of Defense has confirmed that the attack on Iran took place at around 5.00pm (Eastern Time) yesterday evening, which would have been 12.30am local time, with final missiles dropped at around 7.05pm (Eastern Time) - 2.35am local time.
The 79-year-old POTUS has since labeled the assault as a 'very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan' on Truth Social, while also claiming in his address to the nation that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been 'completely and totally obliterated'.
Iranian officials have confirmed the three sites were struck but denied any major damage was done. Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the US' actions 'will have everlasting consequences', calling the country's actions 'extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal'.
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Speaking to reporters in the Pentagon today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has claimed that the US stealth bombers managed to fly undetected as they carried out their mission, which has the codename Operation Midnight Hammer.
"Our B-2s went in and out of these nuclear sites, in and out and back without the world knowing at all - in that way it was historic," he said.
However, just yesterday dozens of people uploaded footage of these B-2 stealth bombers traveling past them on Twitter.
One person typed: "How is it stealth and invisible if random people see them and post on X?"
"'Stealth' meanwhile the whole world knows," a second added.
Now, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine has detailed the in-depth attack plan that took place - which included more than 125 aircrafts, some used as a decoy, and 75 precision guided weapons having been fired.
"At midnight, Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States," he explained.
"As part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise, part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy, a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa."
It took 18 hours for the B-2 stealth bombers to reach Iran, refuelling multiple times in-flight.
Caine continued: "At approximately 5.00pm, Eastern Standard Time, last night and just prior to the strike package entering Iran, a US submarine in the central command area of responsibility launched more than two dozen tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets at Esfahan, as the 'Operation Midnight Hammer' strike package entered Iranian airspace.
"The US employed several deception tactics, including decoys as the fourth and fifth generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface to air missile threats.
"As the strike package approached Fordow and Natanz, the US protection package employed high speed suppression weapons to ensure safe passage of the strike package with fighter assets employing preemptive suppressing fires against any potential Iranian Surface to Air threats."
He went on to explain that the US is not aware of any shots that were fired at its strike package on the way in and out of the country.
"At approximately 6:40pm Eastern Standard Time, 2:10am, Iran time, the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 massive ordinance penetrator [GBU-57 MOP - otherwise known as a bunker buster bomb] weapons on the first of several aim points at Fordow," Caine told reporters.
"As the president stated last night, the remaining bombers then hit their targets as well, with a total of 14 MOPs dropped against two nuclear target areas.
"All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40pm and 7:05pm eastern time again, that's about 2.10am in the morning local time in Iran, with the tomahawk missiles being the last to strike at Esfahan to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation."
Caine added that US forces 'employed approximately 75 precision guided weapons' during the operation, including 14 GBU-57 MOPs - that weigh a staggering 30,000lbs.
The operation included more than 125 US aircraft, including B-2 stealth bombers, multiple flights of fourth and fifth generation fighters, dozens and dozens of air refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine, and a full array of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as hundreds of maintenance and operational professionals, Caine explained.