Trump Blindsided By Pentagon And Hegseth?

The U.S. military operation known as Operation Midnight Hammer was launched late Friday with the goal of severely damaging Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. It involved a coordinated assault using seven B-2 Spirit bombers, supported by over 125 aircraft and a guided missile submarine. The bombers flew an 18-hour mission from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, making it the longest B-2 flight since 2001. The operation also marked the first-ever use of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator 14 of these 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs were dropped in a 25-minute strike targeting Iran’s fortified nuclear sites, including the Fordo facility buried deep in the mountains.

President Trump hailed the operation as a resounding success in a televised address on Saturday, declaring that Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities had been “completely and totally obliterated.” He praised the military’s precision and effectiveness, calling the strike a “spectacular military success.”

However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine struck a far more cautious tone during a press briefing the following day, directly contradicting the president’s claims of total destruction. While both acknowledged that the strikes caused “extremely severe damage and destruction,” they emphasized that it is still too early to determine whether the mission fully neutralized Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Caine pointed out that a final assessment of the operation’s effectiveness would take time and refrained from echoing Trump’s assertion that everything had been destroyed. Hegseth, for his part, described the mission as targeted and limited in scope, and said the administration aimed to avoid being drawn into a broader war with Iran. He acknowledged the risks of escalation but said the strike was carefully designed to send a strong but controlled message.

U.S. officials are now closely watching for any signs of Iranian retaliation, especially targeting American forces in the Middle East. Over 40,000 U.S. troops and Defense Department personnel are stationed throughout the region. Although no specific security measures were disclosed, Caine confirmed that force protection levels had been elevated in key areas, including Iraq, Syria, and the Persian Gulf.

Despite the president’s confident messaging, the Pentagon’s more measured comments suggest that the administration is still bracing for potential consequences and uncertain about the strike’s long-term effectiveness. The use of deception sending B-2 bombers westward as a diversion while the actual strike group headed toward the Middle East highlighted the operation’s covert nature. However, the diverging accounts from Trump and his defense leadership are already drawing attention, with critics pointing to the conflicting narratives as cause for concern.