US Defense Secretary and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth stated on Sunday that the US military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were not intended to pave the way for regime change, and private diplomatic messages have been conveyed to Tehran to promote negotiations.
Pentagon chief did, however, caution Iran against carrying out previous threats of retaliation against the United States, stating that American forces were ready to defend themselves and act if necessary.
Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon, “This mission was not and has not been about regime change.” “To counter the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program, the president authorized a precision operation.”
The top U.S. general, General Dan Caine, referred to the U.S. strikes as “Operation Midnight.” They involved over 125 military aircraft, over two dozen Tomahawk missiles, and fourteen bunker-buster bombs.
Although Caine declined to speculate on whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact, he said preliminary battle damage assessments showed that all three sites suffered extremely severe damage and destruction.
The operation puts the Middle East on the verge of a major new conflict in an area that has been raging for more than 20 months due to wars in Gaza and Lebanon and the overthrow of a Syrian dictator.
After vowing to defend itself, Tehran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel, destroying buildings in Tel Aviv, its commercial center, and injuring numerous people.
Iran’s top security body must make a final decision after the Iranian parliament approved closing the Hormuz strait, which could be a choke point for oil shipments, according to Iran’s press TV.
According to Caine, the US military has stepped up its efforts to protect its forces in the area, including in Syria and Iraq.
