During a press conference at the Pentagon, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared detailed information about the recent US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

They explained how the planning and execution of the mission took place. As part of the briefing, Gen. Caine also showed test footage of the bunker-buster bombs that were used in the strikes. According to a US official, 12 such bombs were used in the attack.

The two officials strongly disagreed with a report from the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). The classified report said that while the attacks damaged the nuclear sites, they did not destroy them, and that Iran’s nuclear programme was only delayed by a few months.

Responding to this, Hegseth said, “The strike was ‘decimating – choose your word – obliterating, destroying.’” He also said that the intelligence report was of “low confidence” and had “gaps in the information”.

During the press conference, videos of the actual bombing were shown. These videos helped explain how the attacks were carried out. The officials described how bunker-buster bombs are different from normal bombs. The damage cannot be seen on the surface, as these bombs are made to go deep underground before exploding.

Gen. Caine gave a clear explanation of how the bombs work. He said, “A bomb has three effects that cause damage: blast, fragmentation and overpressure. In this case, the primary kill mechanisms in the mission space were a mix of overpressure and blast.”

The Pentagon defended the operation as a strong and effective move against Iran’s nuclear activities. They stressed that the mission was carefully planned and used powerful weapons that can deeply target underground sites.

While some intelligence sources remain doubtful about how much the strike achieved, the Pentagon believes that the attack sent a strong message and caused serious damage to Iran’s nuclear plans.

About bunker buster

A bunker buster is a special type of bomb made to destroy very strong or deeply buried targets, like military bunkers or underground nuclear sites.

This powerful bomb weighs about 30,000 pounds and is made of strong steel, explosives, and a fuse. The fuse controls when the bomb explodes. If the fuse is set to explode later, the bomb can go deeper into the ground before blasting.

Over the years, the military have tested this bomb many times on fake (mock) underground buildings. These tests helped experts understand how the bomb works and how to make it better. According to Gen. Dan Caine, military teams worked hard to make sure the bomb would explode in the right place—like inside mock nuclear enrichment rooms—rather than on the surface.

They also designed the bomb so that the explosion would send a pressure blast through open tunnels underground. This strong blast would then destroy the equipment hidden deep inside.

The main idea behind the bunker buster is to go deep, explode at the right moment, and cause maximum damage to underground systems. It’s very different from normal bombs, which explode on impact or just below the surface.

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