US Pentagon Leaders Defend Iran Nuclear Facility Attacks
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s top leaders doubled down Thursday on how destructive the U.S. attacks had been on Iran’s nuclear facilities and described in detail the study and planning behind the bombing mission.
Background on the Attacks
In a rare Pentagon news briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, worked to shift the debate from whether the nuclear targets were “obliterated,” as President Donald Trump has said, to what they portrayed as the heroism of the strikes as well as the extensive research and preparation that went into carrying them out.
“You want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated — choose your word. This was an historically successful attack,” Hegseth said in an often combative session with the media.
Intelligence Assessment
He said once more an early assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency, a part of the Defense Department, was preliminary and that the report acknowledged there was low confidence and gaps in information. Hegseth criticized reporters for “breathlessly” focusing on that intelligence assessment and said such stories were just attempts to undermine the Republican president.
That intelligence report said that while the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities did significant damage, the sites were not totally destroyed and that Tehran’s program was only set back by a few months.
Planning and Preparation
At the briefing, Caine described the 15 years of study by two Defense Threat Reduction Agency officers to create a bomb that could penetrate the Fordo nuclear facility being built deep underground by Iran.
Over time, he said, the department had many people with Ph.D.s working on the program, “doing modeling and simulation that we were quietly and in a secret way the biggest users of supercomputer hours within the United States of America.”
The pilots of the bombers involved in the weekend strikes described the flash after the bomb drop as “the brightest explosion they had ever seen,” Caine said.
Nuclear Material Movement
Asked repeatedly whether any of the nuclear material was moved out of the Iranian facilities, Hegseth acknowledged that the Pentagon was “looking at all aspects of intelligence and making sure we have a sense of what was where.
“I’m not aware of any intelligence that says things were not where they were supposed to be” or that they were moved, Hegseth said.
Conclusion
The US Pentagon leaders have defended the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, citing the extensive planning and preparation that went into the mission. While the intelligence assessment reported that the sites were not totally destroyed, the Pentagon leaders emphasized the heroism of the strikes and the significant damage caused to Tehran’s program.
FAQs
Q: What was the purpose of the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities?
A: The purpose of the attacks was to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities and set back their program.
Q: How long did it take to plan the attacks?
A: The planning and preparation for the attacks took 15 years, involving many people with Ph.D.s working on the program.
Q: Was any nuclear material moved out of the Iranian facilities?
A: According to Hegseth, there is no intelligence that suggests any nuclear material was moved out of the facilities.
Q: How successful were the attacks?
A: The Pentagon leaders described the attacks as “historically successful,” causing significant damage to Tehran’s program and setting it back by a few months.
