Trump’s administration doubles down on Iran attacks and says they were ’15 years in the making’

Donald Trump’s administration has doubled down – no, quadrupled down – on his claims that the Fordow nuclear facility in Iran was ‘obliterated’ in the ‘culmination of 15 years of incredible work’.

Never has this US administration been more determined to counteract its own military assessment as defence secretary Pete Hegseth stooped as low as to berate journalists who reported on leaked intelligence from the Pentagon.

At a press conference this afternoon, Hegseth teamed up with general Dan Caine to persuade the public of the success of the US attacks on Iran – that was their only goal.

Both praised the pilot of the B-2 jets that unleashed bunker buster bombs on Iran and emphasized that the military operation went as planned before criticising the ‘great deal of irresponsible reporting’ all based on ‘biased leaks.’

Hegseth told reporters: ‘If you want to know what’s going on at Fordo, you better go there and get a big shovel.’

He went through a variety of intelligence information – from US sources as well as the Israelis – which concluded that the Iranian nuclear programme was set back years from the airstrikes.

‘You want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated, choose your words,’ he said.

Detailing thespecifics of the attack on Fordow, and how they penetrated into the nuclear site, Caine said that the bombers targeted the ventilation shafts.

He said: ‘All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go.’

Seemingly aware of the coming attack, He said Iran attempted to cover the ventilation shafts with concrete – but he claimed the US was aware of their dimensions.

The general said the caps were destroyed by the first strikes, leaving the shaft uncovered for the incoming bombs.

Caine went on: ‘The main shaft was uncovered for weapons two, three, four, five, and they were tasked to enter the main shaft, [and] moved down into the complex at greater than 1000ft per second and exploded in the mission space. 

‘Weapon number six was designed as a flex weapon to allow us to cover if one of the preceding jets, or one of the preceding weapons, did not work.’

Focusing on the actual weapons, he said they were planned, designed and delivered to ensure they achieved the effects in the mission space.

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