THE EXTENT OF the damage caused to the three Iranian nuclear sites by US bombs, which were dropped on the locations overnight, has yet to be fully determined, according to US military command.

During a press conference at the Pentagon in the US today, the chairman of the US military chiefs Dan Caine said the army is confident that “extremely severe damage and destruction” was caused.

At the same event, US defence minister Pete Hegseth confirmed that the Trump Administration did not inform Congress, the houses of parliament, before it bombed the three nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran.

The shock-announcement by US President Donald Trump that the US had launched strikes on Iran came just two days after the Republican had given a two-week deadline for Iran to engage in nuclear peace negotiations.

Hegseth and Caine detailed the operation, named Midnight Hammer. Caine said that the mission was contained and that the US Army bombers had not been spotted by the Iranian military throughout the mission.

He added that the entirety of the mission maintained an element of surprise.

“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.

More than 125 US aircraft participated in the operation, he said, in which fourteen 30,000-pound bombs were dropped on the locations across Iran.

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Hegseth said: “The President authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests, posed by the Iranian nuclear programme and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally Israel.”

Fielding questions from reporters, Hegseth was asked about the criticism of the Trump administration for not informing elected officials of its plan to carry out Midnight Hammer. 

He said: “[Congress] were notified after the planes were safely out when we complied with the notification requirements of the War Powers Act, they were notified. They were [informed] immediately thereafter.”

The US War Powers Act requires the president to notify elected officials within 48 hours of assigning armed forces to military action. The administration ascertains its position that it notified Congress within the time frame of the law.