Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday morning echoed President Donald Trump in stating how much damage U.S. air strikes had done to Iran's nuclear program, saying it had been "obliterated," but Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine appeared not willing to go as far.
"It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program," Hegseth said at an early morning briefing with reporters, while praising President Trump's role in the operation.
"Thanks to President Trump's bold and visionary leadership and his commitment to peace through strength, Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated," he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, June 22, 2025.
Alex Brandon/AP
"Many presidents have dreamed of delivering the final blow to Iran's nuclear program, and none could until President Trump," he said.
In his speech to the nation Saturday night, just after the strikes, Trump said Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated," calling the attack a "spectacular military success."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine speak during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, June 22, 2025
Alex Brandon/AP
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On Sunday morning, Caine was more measure, saying it will "take some time" to assess how much damage has been done.
President Donald Trump addresses the nation, alongside Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth from the White House in Washington, June 21, 2025.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
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"I know that battle damage is of great interest. Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," Caine said.
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"I think BDA is still pending and way too early to comment on what may or may not be there," he said.
Later, Hegseth added that "The battle damage assessment is ongoing, but our initial assessment, as the chairman said, is that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike and had the desired effect, which means especially the primary target here, we believe we achieved destruction of capabilities there."
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This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a closer view of craters and ash on a ridge at Fordo enrichment facility in Iran after U.S. strikes, June 22, 2025.
Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies
Satellite images appeared to show bomb craters on top of the mountain where the Fordo plant is buried deep inside.