We are not looking for war, said Pentagon after Iran water attacks

Sunday 22 June 2025 16:01
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Sunday 22 June 2025 16:02

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America is “not looking for war” with Iran, said Pentagon after a shocking US attack on the three main nuclear sites of Tehran.

The mission, called the Operation Midnight Hammer, involved bait and fraud, and met with no resistance Iran, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and General Air Force and Caine, Chairman of the Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, told the Pentagon press conference on Sunday.

MR Hegseth said it was important to note that US attacks did not target Iranian troops or Iranian people, the hidden effort to show Tehran that they did not want to retaliate on the American target in the region.

“This mission is not and not about regime changes,” Hegseth added.

Mr Caine said the purpose of operations – destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – has been achieved. US President Donald Trump previously claimed the facility had been “fully and fully eliminated”.

“Damage to the last battle will take time, but the assessment of the initial battle damage shows that the three sites suffered very severe damage and destruction,” Caine said.

Speaking later, US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was “not exploding” diplomatic with the attack.

He told NBC’s Meet the Press that the discussion about Iran’s nuclear programs that advanced quickly had never been given a real opportunity by Tehran.

“Our hope … is that this might be able to reset here,” he said. “Iranians can take peace or they can take a ridiculous path from terrorism funding, trying to build nuclear weapons, and that is not something that can be accepted by the United States.”

He repeated the US not fighting with Iran, and had no interest in conflict or protracted boots on the ground.

Vance said he felt “very confident that we have substantially delaying the development of their nuclear weapons” and that will be “many, many years” before Iran can develop it.

This operation included the United States into the Israeli war aimed at destroying the Iranian nuclear program, although the Iranian atomic energy organization insisted this program would not be stopped.

Iranian President Masoud Pezishkian has condemned US attacks, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that diplomacy was no longer an option.

“This aggression shows that the United States is the main incubator of the hostile actions of the Zionist regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Pezishkian said on Sunday.

“Even though they initially tried to deny their role, after the determining and prevention of our armed forces and the inability of a clear Zionist regime, they must be forced to enter the field itself.”

Meanwhile, Araghchi stated that while the “door for diplomacy” must always be open, “this is not the problem now”.

He added: “The administration of warming warmers, without law in Washington is merely and full responsibility for dangerous consequences and implications that are far from his aggressive actions.”

Satellite images taken on Sundays show damage to the slopes of the mountain on the underground site at the Fermo.

Pictures, by PBC Planet Labs, show that the mountain that used to be brown now has parts that turn gray and the contour looks a little different from the previous picture, showing the explosion to throw debris around the site.

It shows the use of a special American bunker bomb at the facility. Light gray smoke also hung in the air.

Iran and the UN nuclear supervisor said there were no signs of radioactive contamination in three locations after strikes.

It is unclear whether the US will continue to attack Iran with its allies Israel, who have been involved in the nine -day war with Iran.

Trump acted without the Authorization of Congress, and he warned there would be additional attacks if Tehran replied to US troops.

“There will be peace or there will be a tragedy for Iran,” he said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Washington had “betrayed diplomacy” with military attacks, and that “the US itself had launched a dangerous war against Iran”.

His statement added: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has the right to fight with full force against US military aggression and crimes committed by this naughty regime, and to defend Iran’s national security and interests.”

A few hours after the American attack, Iran’s Paramiliter revolutionary guard said that launching a series of 40 missiles in Israel, including its Khorramshahr-4, which could carry several warheads.

Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people were mostly suffering from minor injuries, although one multi -storey building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with all the facade torn to expose the apartment in it. The houses across the road were almost completely destroyed.

Following the series of Iran, the Israeli military said he had “quickly neutralized” Iranian missile launches that had shot, and that he had begun a series of attacks on military targets in West Iran.

Iran has maintained its nuclear program only for peaceful purposes, and US intelligence agencies have considered that Tehran is not actively pursuing bombs. However, Trump and Israeli leaders believe Iran can quickly collect nuclear weapons, making it a threat that will soon occur.

The decision to directly involve the US in war came after more than a week of attacks by Israel which significantly reduced Iran’s air defense and the ability of offensive missiles, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities.

But US and Israel officials said the American B-2 stealth bomber and 30,000 pound bunker bombs were only configured to be carried offer the best opportunity to destroy a highly fortified site that was linked to the Iranian nuclear program that was buried underground.

Trump seems to have made a calculation – on the encouragement of Israeli officials and many republican – that Israeli operations have soften the land and presents opportunities that may not be incomparable to restore the Iranian nuclear program, permanently permanently.

“We have completed our very successful attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump said in a post on social media.

“All aircraft are now outside Iran’s airspace. Full loads are dropped on the main site, Forto. All aircraft are safe on their way home.”

Trump then added: “This is a historic moment for the United States, Israel, and the world. Iran must now agree to end this war. Thank you!”

Israel announced on Sunday that they had closed airspace for incoming and out of flights after US attacks.

US officials said the attack used a bunker-buster at the Iranian Fordo Iran nuclear fuel enrichment factory, while the submarine launched around 30 Tomahawk missiles.

The decision to attack is a risky decision for Trump, who won the White House in part in the promise of protecting America from expensive foreign conflicts and mocking the value of American intervention.

But he had sworn he would not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons and he initially hoped that the threat of power would bring the leaders of the country to submit their nuclear program peacefully.

Associated Press