US military operation against Iran "highly successful," says Defense Secretary

(Web Desk): US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that the military successfully completed its mission against Iran and accused certain American news channels of spreading baseless reports.

During a news briefing alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that President Donald Trump had ordered one of the most complex military operations in history, and the military executed the mission with great skill. He added that some US media outlets were airing unfounded stories.

He criticized the American media for targeting Donald Trump and opposing his every move, stating that the media seeks out scandals while ignoring successes, and that critics do not want to see Trump succeed.

Hegseth said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also confirmed that US strikes had caused significant damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, a fact that was acknowledged by a spokesperson from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It is worth noting that, according to US media outlets CNN and The New York Times, early intelligence reports indicated that Iran’s nuclear facilities were not completely destroyed by the American strikes—only set back by a few months.

The Defense Secretary emphasized that the attacks on Iran’s nuclear installations were successful, describing the military operation as highly effective. He claimed that Iran’s nuclear program suffered the kind of damage that previous presidents could only dream of inflicting. According to him, Iran’s nuclear facilities were completely destroyed, and the IAEA confirmed that the program has been pushed back by several years.

He added that the aim of the military operation was to end the ongoing conflict in the region. As a result of the operation, a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been achieved, which he called a welcome development.

Notably, just hours before the US Defense Secretary's briefing, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's recorded statement was aired, in which he said that the United States had failed to achieve any major objectives through its attacks on Iran’s nuclear installations.

During the briefing, General Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed his gratitude to the soldiers involved in Operation Midnight Hammer, praising the performance of US pilots during the mission.

He also revealed that they had prior intelligence of an Iranian attack on the US base in Qatar, and only had two minutes to respond. He stated that Iran’s major assault was successfully thwarted and the US military’s response demonstrated its defensive capabilities.