America doesn’t want to pursue war with Iran, says Pentagon

Washington: Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that America “does not seek war” with Iran in the aftermath of a surprise attack overnight on three of that country’s nuclear sites.

The mission, called “Operation Midnight Hammer”, involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance, Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference.

“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Hegseth added.

Caine said the goal of the operation — destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — had been achieved.

“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.

Meanwhile, democrats demand “clear answers” from US President Donald Trump over US strikes in Iran. The President must provide American people “clear answers” on his decision to strike Iranian nuclear sites, a democratic senator said, asserting that no president should be allowed to unilaterally march the country into something “as consequential as war”.

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said the danger of wider, longer and more devastating war had dramatically increased after the US bombed three major nuclear sites -- Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan -- in Iran, bringing itself into the Israel-Iran conflict. “We must enforce the War Powers Act,” he said, calling on all senators on both sides of the aisle to vote for it. The War Powers Act is a congressional resolution designed to limit the US president’s ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad. “No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy. Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve and strategic clarity,” he said.