A critical element in gaining any advantage in a war is hearing and understanding your enemy and being able to distinguish truth from bluster. Iran failed miserably at grasping what Donald Trump was saying, and it cost them dearly. In the early morning hours on June 21, US military forces in Operation Midnight Hammer struck Iran decisively, taking out its nuclear weapons capability buried deep underground. On June 19, President Trump told Iran he would make a decision “within” (not in) two weeks as to whether the US would get directly involved in the elimination of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Tehran’s leadership made it abundantly clear that negotiations were off the table, so the US Air Force and Navy made it clear destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons program was on the table.
Iran Does Not Pay Attention
Iran disregarded Trump’s April 12 ultimatum to come back to peace talks within 60 days or face the consequences. On day 61, having no response from Iran, Israel began its air campaign against Iran’s nuclear facilities and air defenses. Similarly, when Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, following a Geneva meeting with European leaders where he had failed to get support, declared Iran would not begin talks with the US until Israel stopped its air attacks on Iran, Operation Midnight Hammer fell.
During a Pentagon press briefing, US Air Force General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the mission “a deliberate and precise” strike against three Iranian nuclear facilities. “This was a complex and high-risk mission carried out with exceptional skill and discipline by our Joint Force,” he continued, explaining that seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers flew the 36-hour round trip from Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), MO, to Iran’s nuclear facilities (between 15,000 and 17,000 miles). Each B-2 carried two 30,000-lb. Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) designated GBU-57 bunker-busting bombs (a total of 420,000 lbs. of explosives). The stealth bombers’ targets were Fordow and Natanz nuclear materials refining and research facilities. Just before entering Iranian airspace, the bombers were joined by fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft deployed in the region (including F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs) for force protection. The fighter aircraft provided both suppression of enemy air defenses, should any be operational, as well as decoys ahead of the B-2 strike package.
Complexity is always a challenge in any military mission, and Operation Midnight Hammer was as complex as it gets. The mission involved two military services, seven major commands, the Joint Staff, integration of aerial refueling, coordination, positioning, and timing of launching cruise missiles from a US Navy attack submarine. Numerous other moving parts bringing together Israeli intelligence and ensuring the Israel Defense Force was not also flying that night all while keeping operational security. It was quite an accomplishment.
The B-2 strike package was refueled numerous times from air refueling tankers positioned along the route. As part of a deception operation, another group of B-2 bombers from Whiteman AFB deployed to Anderson AFB on Guam in the Pacific, giving the impression that the mission might be launched from Guam. The intention was that while Iran would be watching Guam for a potential strike, the real strike package would come directly from the middle of the US. Having such an enormous strategic global reach, enabling the deployment of two groups of nuclear-capable bombers halfway around the world is an edge that sets the US military capability apart from any other. As President Trump reminded Americans in his televised announcement of the US airstrike on Iran, “There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight. Not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago.” President Trump may be prone to hyperbole, but there was no exaggeration to those words.
“At approximately 5 P.M. Eastern Standard Time last night and just before the strike package entered Iran, a US submarine in the Central Command area of responsibility launched more than two dozen [30] Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets at Isfahan,” Caine told reporters. The sub-launched cruise missiles were timed to strike Isfahan after the initial B-2 bombers’ strikes on Fordow and Natanz to retain operational security. Operational planners did not want to alert the Iranians of a potential attack before the bombers had completed their work, thereby maintaining the element of surprise. Isfahan, due to its geographical nature and facility layout, may have been the most challenging target to attack of the three, hence the 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles targeting a single site.
What Will Come Next?
What will follow in the coming days will be the naysayers criticizing the action Trump took as illegal or an unnecessary provocation or likely to draw in Russia and China. Was it necessary? Israel could not reach down the 300-plus feet to the buried Fordow nuclear complex with the effectiveness of a GBU-57. As the president said, the time for action was now:
“For 40 years, Iran has been saying. Death to America, death to Israel. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs. That was their specialty. We lost over 1,000 people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate in particular…I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue.”
Jed Babbin, writing for The American Spectator, put the president’s sentiment in a less official but succinct way in his observation titled, “MOPping Up Iran.” Babbin explained: “This is the way things are supposed to be done. The United States doesn’t need permission from the United Nations or the European Union or anyone else. When we determine that our people, our interests, or our allies are in grave danger, we strike decisively at any peoples or targets that are creating the threat.”
What has been Iran’s reaction? The theocracy running Tehran has vowed revenge. Trump made it clear that his purpose was to eliminate their nuclear capacity only. He believes he’s gone a long way to doing that. Now, it’s time for serious peace talks. However, as The Daily Caller reported, “Trump posted on Truth Social following his address to the nation, warning that if Iran attacks U.S. personnel, it will be met with ‘force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.’” That’s short for: “You want revenge? Bring it on.”
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