Iran US Israel News LIVE Updates: In a Pentagon briefing on Operation ‘Midnight Hammer’, conducted against nuclear facilities in Iran, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth termed the operation planned by US President Donald Trump “bold and brilliant,” adding that it showed the world that “American deterrence” is back. “As President Trump has stated ‘the US does not seek war’ but…we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partner or our interests are threatened,” Hegseth said to pressure Tehran to come to the negotiation table.

Iran’s response to US strikes: Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi condemned US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling it a “grave violation” of the UN Charter, international law, and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Warning of everlasting consequences, Araghchi said Iran, under the UN Charter, reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the US to “expect regrettable responses” in response to its strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites, state TV reported.

What bombs did US drop on Iran: In the briefing at the Pentagon, Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine confirmed that seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were used in the Operation. He said the B-2 were involved in the 18-hour flight, and the air strikes in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow took place between 6.40 and 7.05 pm (Eastern Time). The bombers deployed GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator warheads. Commonly known as a ‘bunker buster’, the bomb carries a conventional warhead, and is believed to be able to penetrate about 200 feet. Additionally, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles against “key targets” at the Isfahan nuclear site.