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Quick Hit:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday praised the success of U.S. airstrikes that shattered Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and said the mission was intended to eliminate the threat—not escalate a war.
Key Details:
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Hegseth said the mission was “not, has not been about regime change,” but about neutralizing threats to U.S. national interests and defending allies like Israel.
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The Pentagon said the strike was successful, with precision munitions hitting their intended targets and devastating key Iranian nuclear sites.
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Hegseth urged Iran to take the opportunity to negotiate, warning that U.S. military capabilities are “nearly unlimited” and that the choice for peace lies with Tehran.
Diving Deeper:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday reinforced the Trump administration’s position that the latest U.S. military strikes on Iran were tightly focused on neutralizing nuclear threats—not overthrowing the regime in Tehran.
“This mission was not, has not been about regime change,” Hegseth said during a press briefing at the Pentagon alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. “The President authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and to defend our troops and ally Israel.”
The strikes, carried out Saturday night, followed Iran’s continued refusal to engage in meaningful diplomatic talks. After weeks of escalating tension, Israel launched a massive missile barrage that shattered Iran’s missile defense systems. That attack was soon followed by U.S. precision strikes targeting three major Iranian nuclear sites.
Hegseth confirmed that the Pentagon’s battle damage assessment is still underway but said “all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike, and had the desired effect.”
Now, he said, Iran has a window of opportunity to choose peace. “I can only confirm that there are both public and private messages being directly delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the table,” Hegseth told reporters. “They understand precisely what the American position is, precisely what steps they can take to allow for peace, and we hope they do so.”
He noted the mission was intentionally limited in scope to send a specific message. “That’s the message that we’re sending. With the capabilities of the American military nearly unlimited… Iran, in that sense, has a choice,” he said. “Now is the time to come forward for peace.”
According to Hegseth, the stealth nature of the operation caught Iran completely off guard—delivering a clear message about American power and resolve under President Trump.
“The scope and scale of what occurred last night would take the breath away of almost any American if you had an opportunity to watch it in real time,” Hegseth said. “Tehran is certainly calculating the reality that planes flew from the middle of America in Missouri overnight, completely undetected over three of their most highly sensitive sites, and we were able to destroy nuclear capabilities—and our boys in those bombers are on their way home right now.”
Hegseth concluded by praising the performance of U.S. forces, saying he was “proud of how this building operated, of the precision, the sensitivity and the professionalism of the troops involved.”
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