Washington: US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, June 22, that America “does not seek war” with Iran in the aftermath of a surprise attack overnight on three of that country’s nuclear sites.
The mission, called “Operation Midnight Hammer”, involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance, Hegseth and Air Force Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference.
“This mission was not and has not been about regime change. The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program,” Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon.
Early Sunday morning, US stealth bombers, including 14 bunker-buster bombs, over dozens of Tomahawk missiles and 125 military aircraft, targeted Iran’s facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.
“It took a great deal of precision. It involved misdirection and the highest level of operational security. Our B-2 bombers went in and out of these nuclear sites without the world knowing at all,” the Defence Secretary told reporters.
He further said that the attack was “intentionally limited, that’s the message we’re sending.”
“I can only confirm that there are both public and private messages being delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the table,” Hegseth said.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance claims that the United States aims to “pursue a diplomatic situation” with Iran.
“We do not want to protract this or build this out any more than it’s already been built out. We want to end their nuclear programme. We want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here,” Vance told NBC’s Meet the Press.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the next steps are up to the Iranian government. “If the regime wants peace, we’re ready for peace. If they want to do something else, they’re incredibly vulnerable. They can’t even protect their own airspace,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Rubio also warned against Iranian attacks on countries in the region that host American military forces.
“That’s exactly why they are there. All those bases are there because those countries are afraid Iran will attack them,” Rubio said. “Those bases are there because those countries are petrified.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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