The United States has revealed details of a covert military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” the strike was carried out by B-2 stealth bombers and marked the first combat use of the massive GBU-57 bunker buster bombs.
According to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the mission was “a complex and strictly compartmentalized operation,” known only to a limited number of officials.
“We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. strike package on the way in,” Caine said at a Sunday press conference alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “… We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out.”
“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 added.
The operation began at 6:40 p.m. ET on Saturday and lasted approximately 25 minutes. The lead American B-2 bomber dropped two GBU-57 bombs on “the first of several aim points at Fordow,” Caine said.
“The remaining bombers then hit their targets, as well, with a total of 14 MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators) dropped against two nuclear target areas,” he added.
Seven B-2 bombers took part in the strikes, according to a graphic presented during the briefing. In total, 125 aircraft were involved, including fighters and aerial refuelers. Approximately 75 precision-guided munitions were dropped on two of the sites, while a Navy submarine launched Tomahawk missiles at a third.
“There are no indications that any of the U.S. aircraft were fired upon during the mission,” Caine stated.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth emphasized that the U.S. operation was not aimed at regime change in Iran, and the scope of the strike was carefully limited.
“As the president has directed and made clear, this is most certainly not open-ended,” Hegseth said. “It doesn’t mean it limits our ability to respond. We will respond if necessary. The most powerful military in the world is postured and prepared to defend our people. But what the president gave us, as I said, was a focused, powerful, and clear mission on the destruction of Iranian nuclear capabilities. Those were the targets. That’s what was struck. That’s what was overwhelming.”
Caine described the lead-up to the mission: beginning at midnight on Friday, June 20, and continuing through Saturday morning, a strike group of B-2 bombers departed from the continental United States. To maintain tactical surprise, a portion of the formation was diverted west toward the Pacific in a deliberate feint, known only to a small number of people in Washington.
The main strike element — consisting of seven B-2 bombers — quietly proceeded east. The bombers performed several aerial refuelings during the 18-hour flight.
At approximately 5:00 p.m. ET on June 21, just before the strike group entered Iranian airspace, a U.S. Navy submarine within Central Command’s area of responsibility launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles against key above-ground infrastructure in Isfahan.
The strike group then entered Iranian airspace under fighter escort.
At 6:40 p.m. ET, or 2:10 a.m. local time in Iran, the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 bombs on Fordow. In total, 14 such munitions were dropped on two targets: Fordow and Natanz. All three nuclear sites — including Isfahan — were hit between 6:40 and 7:05 p.m. ET.
The bombers exited Iranian airspace shortly thereafter. Caine reiterated that the U.S. was not aware of any attacks on American aircraft during the operation.
President Donald Trump later stated that the purpose of the strike was to eliminate the nuclear threat posed by Iran. According to him, key nuclear sites were “completely and entirely destroyed.”
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement warning of retaliation and claimed to have “identified and tracked” the locations from which U.S. aircraft were launched using intelligence sources.
As of Sunday night, U.S. officials reported that all aircraft involved in the operation had safely returned. There were no announcements of follow-on strikes at this time.