Washington, 22 June 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites were "an incredible and overwhelming success," according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The "precision strike" on the nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow was carried out "in the middle of the night" to "destroy or severely degrade Iran's nuclear programme," Hegseth told journalists at the Pentagon on Sunday.

The attack was "powerful" and it "devastated the Iranian nuclear programme," he added.

"The operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people," Hegseth stressed.

"No other country on planet Earth could have conducted the operation," he said.

He reiterated a warning by US President Donald Trump that the United States would "act swiftly and decisively" if Iran decides to retaliate by targeting US forces stationed in the region.

Photo: printscreen