U.S. officials on Sunday claimed “extremely severe damage and destruction” as a result of a stealth bombing mission Saturday night to wipe out Iran’s nuclear capability. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during an update from the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Pet Hegseth, that “Operation Midnight Hammer” involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance. Caine indicated that the goal of the operation — destroying Iran’s 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. The extensive U.S. operation included 125 aircraft overall, strikes by Tomahawk missiles launched from a submarine, and the use of 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs — the first time such bunker busters were used in combat. Vice President J.D. Vance, also speaking Sunday, said the mission was successful and knocked Iran’s nuclear capabilities back by years. Vance said initially that while he would not discuss “sensitive intelligence about what we’ve seen on the ground,” he felt “very confident that we’ve substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon.” Pressed further, he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “I think that we have really pushed their program back by a very long time. I think that it’s going to be many many years before the Iranians are able to develop a nuclear weapon.” The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed attacks on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear site. Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination around them. The mission set the world on edge, however, and even though Hegseth early in the day said the U.S. strategic goal was not to achieve regime change in Iran, President Donald Trump, in a late afternoon post on Truth Social asked, why not. “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on social media. “MIGA!!!” While U.S. officials urged caution and stressed that only nuclear sites were targeted by Washington, Iran criticized the actions as a violation of its sovereignty and international law. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Washington was “fully responsible” for whatever actions Tehran may take in response. “They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,” he said at a news conference in Turkey. “I don’t know how much room is left for diplomacy.” Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, told an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council that the U.S. “decided to destroy diplomacy,” and that the Iranian military will decide the “timing, nature and scale” of the country’s “proportionate response.” Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shear, at the same meeting, responded by reiterating President Trump’s warning that “any Iranian attack – direct or indirect – against Americans or American bases will be met with devastating retaliation.” She said that the U.S. acted in defense of Israel and American citizens to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon after it “obfuscated” about its nuclear weapons program and “stonewalled good-faith efforts in recent negotiations.” Shea urged the Security Council to call on Iran to end its 47-year effort to eradicate Israel, terminate its nuclear program, stop targeting Americans and U.S. interests and “negotiate peace in good faith.” China and Russia, where Araghchi was heading for talks with President Vladimir Putin, condemned the U.S. military action. The attacks were “a gross violation of international law,” said Russia’s Foreign Ministry, which also advocated “returning the situation to a political and diplomatic course.” A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement warned about the risk of the conflict spreading to “a global level.” The European Union’s top diplomat said Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, but she urged those involved in the conflict to show restraint. “I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on social media. U.S. officials said 75 precision-guided weapons were used. “It would not be a surprise to me if, after an assessment period, we went back in and re-struck some of these targets to make sure that we achieved the effect,” said Joseph Votel, a former commander of the U.S. Central Command and now a fellow at the Middle East Institute. “That actually is a normal part of our military targeting process, is to strike, assess, and then if necessary, strike again to achieve the results that we’re looking for.” Prior to the B-2 strikes on Fordow, a submarine with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group in the Arabian Sea fired 24 Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to Caine and a graphic released by the Pentagon. Hegseth said earlier on Sunday that “our boys in those bombers are on their way home right now.” A U.S. official later said a woman was among those who piloted the B-2s. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin late Sunday warning of possible cyber attacks and violence, including antisemitic hate crimes, following U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. The department said there are “no specific credible threats against the homeland,” but noted the Iranian government has condemned the U.S. action. “A heightened threat environment across the United States” is expected to last throughout the summer, the bulletin said.