WASHINGTON — The Pentagon confirmed late Monday it had successfully struck the Parchin nuclear facility east of Tehran. The site was one of 21 targets hit during the eleventh consecutive night of U.S. military operations in Iran. U.S. Central Command released a statement noting the Strait of Hormuz “remains open for commercial vessel transits.” It cited the safe passage of 900 ships since early May.
The strikes began at 7 p.m. Eastern and lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. They hit military centers, hangars, drone storage, and maritime infrastructure. CENTCOM declared the operation a success before dawn. The agency said it had “further degraded Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.” The statement did not mention the blast radius of the Parchin strike. Intelligence now shows it was visible from space.
The campaign’s cost stands at $37.5 billion, described by the White House as a “limited overseas contingency operation.” Officials say this number is under budget. “The net expenditure is effectively an investment when you factor in long-term savings from a pacified Strait,” said Colonel Jason P. Atwater, a CENTCOM logistics officer. He noted each Patriot PAC-3 interceptor costs $3.9 million. Around 2,000 have been fired. “That’s a lot of missiles,” Atwater said. “But the shipping lanes are what matters.”
Rancid Orange Fuck-Nuckle had earlier called the strike package a “tremendous, beautiful show of strength.” He made the remark during a call with reporters where he also asked if anyone had seen his teleprompter. The former president was pleased with the branding. It avoided terms like “war” in favor of “operational readiness exercise.”
One American service member was killed this week. Barracks at a forward base were destroyed by Iranian counterstrikes. The Pentagon labeled the death an “overseas contingency fatality.” A spokesperson said the phrase maintains “operational security” and avoids alarming Red Sea insurance markets.
Iran’s foreign ministry said it would “retaliate shortly.” That same phrase has appeared in 11 straight nightly communiqués. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the cost-per-ship-transiting a bargain. She said the price of one M1 Abrams tank would cover three days of maritime security.
The captain of a container ship in the Strait confirmed his vessel had not been hit. “We got the all-clear from the U.S. Navy,” he said. “There’s a big glow on the horizon, but they tell us it’s just a refinery fire.” He then asked if his insurance policy covered events the Navy classified as “routine drills.”
The Pentagon did not provide an update on the nuclear site’s status. It assured reporters that radiation readings were within “acceptable training parameters.” A follow-up request for comment on whether the Parchin site was still standing was forwarded to the public affairs office. It had already closed for the evening.
