Hegseth says that the nuclear ambitions of Iran have worn out

The US defense minister Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference in the Pentagon on June 22, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.

Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty pictures

Defense Minister Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that “the nuclear ambitions of Iran were wiped out” hours after the United States had attacked three important nuclear enrichment plants.

Hegseth, who “focuses on President Donald Trump, it was powerful, and it was clear,” said that the late night mission in Iran “was not about changing regime”.

“The President has authorized a precision surgery to neutralize the threats to our national interest of the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self -defense of our troops and our ally of Israel,” he said during a press conference in the early morning.

Hegseth repeated Trump's comments late Saturday after the attacks when he welcomed the “destruction of the nuclear enrichment of Iran”.

However, the full extent of the damage to the nuclear skills of Iran was not immediately clear.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Stab Air Force General Dan Caine discusses the mission details of a strike against Iran during a press conference in Pentagon on June 22, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.

Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty pictures

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Dan Caine, said on Sunday that Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan facilities give “serious damage and destruction”, but did not go so far that the nuclear skills of Iran were “wiped out”.

“The last fighting damage will take some time, but initial evaluations for combat damage indicate that all three locations have suffered extremely serious damage and destruction,” said Caine.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Tehran has all the ways to defend his sovereignty and people after the “outrageous” US attacks.

Caine, who spoke from the podium in the Pentagon, outlined a timeline of the strikes about Iran, an operation that was referred to by the Trump administration as “Operation Midnight Hammer”.

He said that some B-2 bombers that started from the USA overnight overnight were a bait, while the others “continued quietly in the east with minimal messages during the 18-hour flight in the east.”

More than 125 aircraft took part in the company, including the Stealth B2 bomber.

Read more CNBC policy reporting

This is a contribution to contributions and is updated.