Operation Midnight Hammer Set Back Iran’s Nuclear Programme By Two Years, Says Pentagon

Last Updated:December 03, 2025, 01:41 IST

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson called Operation Midnight Hammer a success, crediting Trump for delaying Iran’s nuclear program by two years.

Kingsley Wilson says Operation Midnight Hammer hit hardened Iranian facilities and delayed the nuclear programme by about two years. (IMAGE: X)

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson on Tuesday said Operation Midnight Hammer had been a “resounding success”, claiming the US strike had dismantled Iran’s nuclear capabilities and set its programme back by an estimated two years.

Wilson told reporters that experts believed Tehran would need “around two years” to rebuild its nuclear capacity. “Iran’s nuclear capabilities were totally obliterated and experts estimated it would take two years for them to recover,” she said during a briefing.

She credited US President Donald Trump’s “bold and swift action” for what he described as a decisive end to a long-standing security challenge. “Thanks to President Trump’s action, we were able to dismantle that threat to the American people,” Wilson said.

The press secretary also said the operation was significant because it had a clearly defined end state, something he argued had been missing in previous US military engagements in the Middle East. “We have seen this department get mired in endless wars and nation building. That has stopped under this President and this Secretary. We now have a clear end state and a clear mission set and Operation Midnight Hammer was a success in dismantling that,” she added.

US officials have described Operation Midnight Hammer as the most extensive American strike on Iranian nuclear infrastructure in years. The operation took place on the night of June 21 and involved a mix of stealth bombers, cruise-missile launches and cyber operations aimed at disabling Iranian air defences before the strikes began.

According to earlier briefings, the US targeted three key sites connected to Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, including facilities near Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. These sites were considered central to Tehran’s nuclear programme and had been hardened or buried deep underground to withstand conventional attack. The Pentagon said the strike package included heavy penetrator ordnance designed to hit those reinforced structures.

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Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has …Read More

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