WASHINGTON

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hosted Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz at the Pentagon Friday to discuss regional issues, including Iran.

Ahead of the closed-door meeting, which comes as Israel launched strikes against Syrian government forces in southwestern part of the country earlier this week, Hegseth hailed last month's US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

"The more we report and the more we see, the more we understand how devastating those attacks were on all three of those nuclear sites. But it was not just a message to those nuclear sites, but also to the rest of the world," Hegseth said.

The Pentagon on Thursday dismissed reports that the US strike on Iran only destroyed one of those nuclear sites, while the other two — Isfahan and Natanz — suffered limited damage and could resume enrichment within months, contradicting President Donald Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear sites were "obliterated."

"The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on X.

Last week, officials from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) said the US strikes on the three key Iranian nuclear facilities met their "objectives" but stopped short of confirming whether the sites were completely destroyed, noting that the Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) is still pending.

Hegseth reiterated that the US stands "firmly" with Israel and is committed to reinforcing the country's right to self-defense. "We believe eventually, should Iran make the choice for peace, that's ultimately the hope of your country and the hope of ours," he said.

'Together, we destroyed the Iranian nuclear program'

Katz, for his part, called the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, "a brave and historic decision by President Trump."

"Together, we destroyed the Iranian nuclear program," he said, referring also to a 12-day Israeli offensive that targeted military, nuclear, and civilian sites, as well as senior military commanders and nuclear scientists last month.

"We also destroyed Iran's missile production capability. Our joint goal is to keep our achievements stopping Iran on building its nuclear program and mass production of missiles," Katz said.

Iran had retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israeli military and intelligence facilities. A US-brokered ceasefire between Tehran and Tel Aviv was announced on June 24.

Last week, Hegseth welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Pentagon, where they discussed the strikes against Iran.

Before Israel launched its offensive on Iran, Washington and Tehran were scheduled to hold a sixth round of nuclear talks on June 15.