All members and veterans of our American armed forces deserve respect for their bravery. But they all also deserve a new commander in chief. Secretary Pete Hegseth has been championing this conspiracy theory that the press is attempting to damage Trump and America, by questioning the legitimacy of their early claims about the success of Operation Midnight Hammer. Though early reports are being denounced as being made by “treasonous” (Steve Witkoff’s words on FOX) “leakers” (Rubio claims) – and early reports are “never” to be trusted (Hegseth) – we are supposed to believe the early report from Donald Trump of “obliteration.”
Sadly, Donald Trump’s Operation Midnight Hammer was all thumbs. The pilots may have done everything they were supposed to do. But Donald Trump held the metaphorical hammer, and is credited with plotting the entire attack. All while our service members and citizens of America held the nail. In this metaphor, the President missed the nail, made massive holes in a piece of wood, and hit our hand while telling us it’s unpatriotic to criticize his lack of discipline.
America looks sore on the world’s stage because of this man and he is a national disgrace to our troops.
Hegseth Is A Like Press Secretary Without A Clue, Not Somebody To Trust With Our Defense
This morning Secretary Pete Hegseth joined General Dan Caine of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to share more about the attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. One of the most striking moments of this press conference was when Hegseth was questioned about what gives him confidence that the mission of destroying the nuclear sites was met. This question came shortly after General Caine showed video of bomb tests of the now infamous “bunker buster” munitions and explained how the strike was actually conducted. To answer questions about what gives Secretary Pete Hegseth confidence they “obliterated” these sites, without boots on the ground to investigate it, he said,
“You just watched a video of what this weapon is capable of…that’s where we find our confidence…” which means that Donald Trump and his Secretary of Defense believe their real life strike was successful due to the video they watched of another bomb blow up in a test case.
For that, only that, and nothing other than that, Secretary Pete Hegseth should get mopped across the floor raked on the coals and metaphorically put in the stockades.
One of the things Secretary Pete Hegseth said that I agree with was, “This press corps…misses historic moments.” I disagree with what he thinks those historic moments are, of course. But this press corps does miss the impact of this writer and this blog, for example. Unlike Pete Hegseth I won’t waste half of my time with you complaining about that, but just know that there are a lot of stories the press corps is still covering for this administration. They should stop that, especially if Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump aren’t even going to say “thank you.”
Though I implore you to keep in mind that this Iranian conflict was brought on by Donald Trump personally being upset about how they were keeping him out of the Middle Eastern energy economy, for the purpose of covering this actual military operation, I think there are critical elements of this press conference that the rest of the press corps will miss.
NATO Members’ 5% Commitment Is Historic, But Ironic
For years Donald Trump has publicly bemoaned the fact that NATO member nations do not spend more of their GDP on defense. Trump’s narrative on this is often spun by his Vice President JD Vance, regarding Europe especially, which is regarded as free-loading by these people. Their claim is that the United States is spending and taking on the lions share of the burden. This was pitched to the American people and Congress as something Donald Trump would change if elected President.
Hegseth and the administration are claiming that NATO members committed for the first time to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP. This was posed by Hegseth here, as “a shift in burden sharing,” and also said that it is, “game changing and historic.”
When Donald Trump first started spinning this tale, it was many years ago when he had leverage and bully skills on the world’s stage. That is over.
For months he has failed to produce any meaningful trade deals, the tariffs wreaked havoc internationally and domestically with our small businesses, and nobody can keep straight what Trump’s strategy might be on it. In years past, Trump had the ability to strong-arm nations into doing what he wanted, and used trade like a weapon. He has been disarmed, though.
So, what do we make of the NATO nations still committing to 5% of GDP?
Unenforceable, Distant Promises, With A New World Ordering Itself Without Us
First of all, if NATO nations increase, but don’t reach 5%, what will Donald Trump do? Nothing.
There is nothing we can do about countries who fail to spend that amount. It would also take auditing their expenses, which could only be done regarding American military contractors and their purchase orders. It will also take at least a whole year to make these changes, to reallocate funds, especially if countries have already written their budgets. No details have emerged that I have witnessed, describing when these increases will take place.
Secondly, Europeans have made commitments to Ukraine to fund their defense against Russia. Many European nations, especially more Eastern countries, are arming themselves to defend against Russian expanses.
Meaning, they were going to increase their own spending – having nothing to do with the urging or force of Donald Trump – and that was already likely.
Lastly, Donald Trump has spent parts of his new administration joking (or not) about annexing neighbors like Canada, friendly nations like Greenland, and toyed with the notion of “regime change” in Iran while claiming he was not waging an undeclared war either.
Nations of the world, including those in NATO, have seen Donald Trump and his team of fake diplomats like to countries during negotiations. Though it could be masked with conversations about nuclear programs and treating Iran discriminately, most people in the public don’t buy that.
Hegseth said (with a straight face), “President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history,”
When The Greeks infiltrated Troy by creating a Trojan Horse, that is considered (one of) the most secretive military operation in history. Assassinating Osama Bin Laden was a very complex military operation, that the American people were not told about until it was over. Meanwhile, the Executive producer of “Signalgate” Secretary Pete Hegseth, is calling Operation Midnight Hammer secretive when it was telegraphed for days.
The actual launch time, decoy sequences, and things of that nature aside, the entire world was put on notice that B2 bombers were going to drop “bunker buster” bombs on specific sites within 2 weeks. It makes common sense that Iranians would secure and move things, which General Caine explained in detail.
But let’s call a spade a spade here, this may have been an (overly) complex mission, but nothing about it was secretive. Secrecy is actually something this commander in chief is not very good with.
Truth Between Lines From General Dan Caine
General Dan Caine said, “we don’t grade our own homework.”
This was in reference to the intelligence and analysis reports about whether or not the strike completely destroyed things. He did not engage in politics (much) or lying about the efficacy of these strikes. As mentioned previously, he did run through a number of videos and history about the program which developed the weaponry involved. Caine also explained exactly how the MOP works, as well as providing some commentary about and from the pilots and soldiers involved in both flying the B2’s and defending the American base in Qatar. There is a lot to learn here.
Caine said that the order of operations was this:
- The First Bomb: meant to blast the “concrete caps” that the Iranians poured over the shaft that the bombs were meant to go down in order to have those caps “forcibly removed” to bomb the facilities underground.
- Bomb 2, 3, 4, and 5: meant to go through the hole made by the first bomb, all through the same hole, to “explode in the mission space.”
- Bomb 6: a “flex” to destroy anything that 2, 3, 4, and 5 did not.
Based on the video of tests, confidence in American-made bombs and US Air Force (and Missouri National Guard) pilots, and the approval of Donald Trump – the administration has agreed their mission was successful.
Basic Math Was Ignored, So Were Explosion Dynamics
However, on June 18, 2025 prior to Operation Midnight Hammer, Scientific American wrote a very dense article about the MOP systems called, “Why This Is the Only Bomb That Could Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Bunker—Under 300 Feet of Rock.” In this piece, they detail simply that the MOP’s have been tested as having been able to penetrate up to 200 feet into the ground prior to exploding. The missile casing is supposed to stay on until detonation at the necessary depth. But this piece also indicates that Fordow, for example, is believed to be underground 260 – 300 feet. Therefore on the face, you could imagine this mission might not succeed.
The Scientific American article also says that Israel has bunker buster bombs of their own, though they are apparently about 5,000 pound bombs. That would suggest they are capable of making it underground at shallower depths than the MOP’s made by Boeing.
This should also call into question the whole narrative about how “special” it is and all the talk that America is the only nation on Earth which could do this.
They are not.
For whatever reason, it has been maintained that Israel has not been given B2’s or the Boeing bunker busters.
Of all the things to question about this administration, that question is important.
The Truth Can Be Blinding
Caine quoted one of the pilots, saying, “it was the brightest explosion I’ve ever seen.”
That is a tell that this mission did not go according to plan, and I can tell you why.
The first thing to remember is that the Iranians apparently put concrete on top of the sites recently. So they are not only hardened by being buried. They are also hardened on the surface. That means if the first bomb does not remove the cap, or if it removes the cap but some concrete fills in the hole, you no longer have a clean hole/surface to drop bombs down.
Nobody Has Seen Inside Fordow, But Somebody Said They Saw Enough
All of these bunker busters are designed to explode deep underground. Hundreds of feet underground. The hole these bombs were dropped down was also supposedly very small by comparison to other larger surface detonation bombs or rockets. Therefore, if these bombs were not duds, and actually exploded as they were designed, that means they would have been deeply underground and completely out of sight. Nobody should’ve been able to see much. Even a huge explosion would have narrowly caused some flame or materials to burst out of the hole they dropped the bombs down.
Imagine for a moment if you will, a bunker underground. It is underground about 300 feet, at least. You drop a missile down a shaft and explode a hole inside it. Dirt begins filling in that hole. Now you have a hole, and maybe it’s about 200 feet down. So you drop another bomb. That bomb doesn’t go another 200 feet down especially because now the missile is not going through dirt it is going through a hole that has friction created by a non-smooth hole. The next bomb may just explode, causing more dirt to fill in. Since there are multiple bombs dropped, we don’t know the timing either, but they could have interfered with one another.
By bombs 5 and 6, you could imagine that the hole might have all but been filled.
That might result in a 30,000 pound bomb meant to be detonated underground, being detonated virtually near the surface. That would explain how a pilot could have seen any bright explosion whatsoever. Because if things went the way they were supposed to, the explosions would have been out of sight completely.
Protect Our Troops From Possible Radiation Poisoning and Aimless Wars
Caine explained that the American base in Qatar was defended by (44) soldiers, aged between 21 and 28. You can listen to his account if you want to hear the emotional tale they spin about this situation which may or may not be true. The reality this exposes is the fact that this military installation in Qatar was defendable by less than 50 soldiers whose brains have in some cases not even fully developed. Children, basically.
Yet for some reason we still have 40,000 soldiers stationed across the Middle East. This situation actually proved that we do not need all of those people there. There are ways that these men and women could be brought home permanently, or even on a rotating temporary basis, in partnership with nations like Qatar.
Dirty Little Secrets Could Spell Big Trouble
If you did not read my breakdown of how Iran absolutely can, does, and will have a nuclear program, I will reiterate a concern that I expressed there. Though the definition of “weapons grade” uranium refinement sets a level of about 90% and Iran was stockpiling and creating 60% – the reality is that 60% is plenty to do real damage. A nation able to use 60% enriched uranium would be able to a) store it for a longer period of time and sell it across the world as a commodity, and b) build new weapons systems that might have to be bigger than traditional “nuclear bombs” but could be equally as effective.
One of the possible delivery methods would be uranium-tipped missiles. This is a speculative concept I am providing, however, it is entirely feasible. Moreover, it is worthy of investigation because of the potential devastation that could be wrought if this possibility goes unacknowledged. With even a limited amount of 60% enriched uranium tipped or enclosed in rockets, when exploded and discharged, it would release radioactive dust. This dust would settle in people’s skin, lungs, water, and other things. Over time and with enough exposure, this could create a lot of negative effects without visibly destroying things like normal bombs.
If Iran is such a terroristic threat, and their nuclear program is of wide concern, it stands to reason that they may have the ability to produce something like this. In fact, it would not be that difficult to make. They would be in effect “dirty bombs,” as they have been known in the past.
We may never be able to visit Iran’s sites.
But we could test people in Israel, and the Qatari base, for radioactive isotopes which would be released in the case of a uranium-tipped release.
Supreme Leader of Iran Will Not Surrender His Nation, Nor His Nuclear Program
The Supreme Leader of Iran made a brief statement, to demonstrate he is alive and well, condemning Israel as a “fake zionist” state. He said Iran and surrender are incompatible concepts. He also said that due to this, it would be impossible for him to surrender his nuclear program either. While comments from the Iranian regime suggest there was some damage done to these sites, it’s clear that they will not be communicating in total honesty or transparency with many sources for the time being. You could hate them, but understand that.
The Military Industrial Complex Is Moving Right Along…
TWZ reports, “GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator Successor In The Works” in an article that was published on June 24, 2025.
Less than a week after this “historic” (Hegseth’s words) battle test, the industry is already looking to improve on the GBU-57.
That’s not good news for them. This indicates that industry-wide, and world-wide, there is low confidence in Boeing’s ordinance. Or the deployment of it is considered faulty in some way. Otherwise, the news would be massive order flow of these missiles, and Trump would be touting defense contracts from NATO nations. It might not be the fault of the bomb, though. The commander in chief ordered this, and it failed.
He is the one who deserves to be held accountable.
Trump Did This For Selfish Reasons, Not National Security
Hegseth said this morning, “It’s almost personal when you see the way in which leaks are used.”
If there are really leaks from within the administration, or organization, and they are personal – that would mean one of Donald Trump’s children were leaking information to somebody or something. That is not happening. Though, I did write a post and distribute it to people at the NATO Summit titled, “NATO Summit and The Palestinian People vs Barron Trump,” detailing how Barron Trump is as guilty as his father is for the horrors Steve Witkoff brokered with Israel and throughout the world.
You’ll note that there was some confusion and misdirection about a comment regarding Trump as “daddy” but not in a context that was within his control. He also seemed to twist what Mark Rutte actually said, which was meant to claim Trump was “daddy” in the context of Israel & Iran fighting. Rutte was not suggesting Trump was his daddy. Nor was Rutte saying that Trump is daddy of NATO.
Big difference.
But personally, I think we should all take it personally what Donald Trump did here.
They Turned Witkoff Down, So Trump Bombed Them
Iran has been enriching uranium. Whether or not they have covertly made and used nuclear weapons of a sort we are unfamiliar with, time will only tell. However, the reason Trump bombed them, and the reason he worked with Netanyahu to assassinate members of the regime, has to do with the negotiations Witkoff was failing to execute. Through their cryptocurrency firm World Liberty Financial and other traditional shadow banking facilities, Witkoff and Trump were attempting to upend BRICS in the Middle East and weasel their way in using diplomatic talks as a cover, to supersede Iranian business in the energy trade.
Witkoff wanted to have oversight of Iran, inside and outside of Iran.
Iranians refused.
They got bombed.
This was not about national security. It was not even for the financial interests of Americans per say. They did this because their own corrupt financial schemes which have been widely publicized now – from planes from Qatar to open bribery via $TRUMP coin – are all falling apart.
In their initial plan, Trump was supposed to have dominated the world via tariffs by now. They already have worked with Elon Musk and Scott Bessent to hijack the financial payment processing technology within the government. Now they needed to plug people into that system from the outside, so they can skim and redirect or divert and sanction funds or “debank” whoever stands in their way.
The narratives about Iranian nuclear programs, theocratic zionist hysteria, terror fears, and Iraq War style propaganda were already embedded in the American psyche.
Trump does not believe in those things.
He used them to distract people or try to get them on board.
Clean Up Secretary Pete Hegseth Mess
At a certain point you have to see that Secretary Pete Hegseth has no spine as a bureaucrat. On the battlefield he may have been a valiant soldier. I am not impugning him as a warrior. But if he is barely even a pass-through for Trump, he is basically just press secretary – not a Secretary of Defense. Trump floated calling him the Secretary of War – which would be creating a new department and vacating another one – which cannot be done without Congress.
Trump has already tried using his “Truth Social” platform to replace executive orders and authorization. It is working too well. That has to stop. The Senate must rescind Hegseth’s confirmation as well as Rubio, Noem, Bessent, and others who are involved in the anti-democratic wars domestically and abroad.
Instead of “wait and see,” we need Congress to be pre-emptive.
Don’t just launch pre-emptive missile strikes on foreign soil.
Launch pre-emptive impeachment hearings, resignation calls, and other legal actions to hold this administration accountable.
Even the corrupt members of Congress who were once on Trump’s side are starting to see that unless he is directly paying you, you cannot count on him to deliver. He doesn’t have the leverage he used to. And as commander in chief, he is barely better than Joe Biden. America doesn’t just deserve better.
We need better.
Iranian Supreme Leader Statements & Hegseth/Caine Joint Press Conference Source Video
