The US does not want Operation Midnight Hammer to turn into a prolonged conflict with Iran, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday.
Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Hegseth said the US had “devastated” Iran's nuclear programme but stressed Saturday's attack was calibrated to try to avoid a broader war.
“It's worth noting that this operation did not target the Iranian people or Iranian troops,” he said.
In his first Pentagon news conference since taking office six months ago, Mr Hegseth said President Donald Trump had ordered officials to come up with a mission focused on avoiding larger military involvement.
The B-2 stealth bombers used in the attacks took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri for the 18-hour mission. They were refuelled in the skies in an operation that appears designed to minimise controversy by avoiding the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, or any US bases in the Middle East.
“We were able to destroy nuclear capabilities and our boys in those bombers are on their way home right now,” Mr Hegseth said.
One reporter asked Mr Hegseth if the US had planned adequately for a potential Iranian decision to escalate and provoke the US into a prolonged war.
“Anything can happen in conflict and we acknowledge that,” Mr Hegseth said before pivoting back to the talking point of the strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as being narrowly focused.
“The scope of this was intentionally limited and that's the message we're sending, thought the capabilities of the US militaries are still unlimited so Iran in that sense has a choice,” he said.
Mr Hegseth was joined at the press conference by Gen Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He said proactive measures had been taken to protect US troops, officials and government staff stationed in nearby countries after the strikes on Iran.
“We are being very thoughtful about ensuring that we do all that we can to protect our forces out there,” he said.
In the minutes leading up to the strikes, Gen Caine said the US attack went largely undetected by Iran's military.
“This was a complex and high-risk mission carried out with exceptional skill,” he added, explaining that it was probably the largest B2 bomber strike in US history.
Though both officials claimed the strikes achieved their goals, Gen Caine warned battle damage assessments would “take some time.”
“Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” he said.
Mr Hegseth said congressional officials in the US House of Representatives and the Senate were notified about the strikes after they were complete. That is not sitting well with Democrats.
Hours after the strikes were announced on Saturday evening, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticised Mr Trump for not seeking approval from Congress.
“President Trump must provide the American people and Congress clear answers on the actions taken tonight and their implications for the safety of Americans,” Mr Schumer said.
“No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy.”
During an appearance on ABC, US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that any counterattack on US forces stationed throughout out the Middle East would be met with a response.
“How Iran responds, I mean, the ball is in their court, but what we did was very focused,” he said, urging US citizens to pray for US troops stationed in the region.
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
