Iran's nuclear ambitions obliterated: US defence chief on airstrikes

Hours after US forces carried out airstrikes on Iran's three key nuclear sites under Operation Midnight Hammer, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth called the offensive a huge success, claiming the Middle East country's nuclear programme was "devastated" and "obliterated".

Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said the "very successful" strikes had hit the Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan nuclear sites in Iran, with Fordow being the primary target.

After a short while following that announcement, Trump addressed the nation, calling the operation a "spectacular military success". Trump said the mission had achieved its primary goal: the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities.

"We devastated the Iranian nuclear program," Hegseth echoed Trump while speaking at a Pentagon media briefing in Washington, DC on Sunday.