By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-02 16:46:34 | Updated at 2026-10-02 17:50:06
2 hours ago
President Donald Trump says Operation Midnight Hammer strikes on Iran hit “drug factories slash nuclear facilities” in Iran.
Trump, who was at a midterm campaign rally on Thursday night in Durant, Oklahoma, was discussing the military operation, which comprised the United States’ initial strikes on Iran in June 2025.
Trump on Iran: "They were nuclear and drug. They were doing drugs but they were doing the nuclear. But these drug factories slash nuclear factories were hit so hard." pic.twitter.com/ie318z7KgV
— FactPost (@factpostnews) October 2, 2026Trump described the operation, saying the aircraft spent “37 hours” refueling before arriving over Iran at around 1 a.m. with “no moon” and “dark as can be.” (RELATED: Remembering The 13 Lives Lost In Operation Epic Fury)
“These unbelievable machines led by the most incredible pilots in the world unloaded every single bomb, went right down air chutes into this, drug factories, really, that’s what they were doing,” Trump said.
“They were nuclear and drugs. They were doing drugs, but they were doing nuclear,” he continued. “But these drug factories/nuclear facilities were hit so hard.”
Trump’s comments describing the facilities as “drug factories” in addition to nuclear facilities appear to be the first time the president has suggested they were involved in activities beyond uranium enrichment, including drug production.
The precision strikes targeted three key Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — using B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles, according to the Department of War report.
Trump added that the facilities were located inside “granite mountains,” saying the bombs “went right down the chutes.” (RELATED: Iran’s IRGC Addresses The American People In Unprecedented Open Letter)
“I don’t think they will be building too many air chutes from now on,” Trump said. “I can tell you.”
🚨 Trump announced on Truth Social that Europe has agreed to release a "massive" amount of their stocked diesel and will begin immediately. https://t.co/x9qfwGbUkJ pic.twitter.com/sJDahw1NAm
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 2, 2026Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth described the operation as a success in a press conference following the attack.
In his opening remarks, he stated, “As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will demonstrate, it was an incredible and overwhelming success. The order we received from our commander in chief was focused. It was powerful, and it was clear. We devastated the Iranian nuclear program.”
Following the Midnight Hammer strikes, the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, 2026, jointly with Israeli strikes, according to the Department of War website. (RELATED: Lara Trump Warns Father-In-Law’s War ‘Could Cost Him These Midterms’)
Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Pentagon also noted that U.S. and partner forces targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command-and-control sites, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites and airfields in the opening wave. The operation lasted till a April 7 ceasefire deal.
The Daily Caller reached out to the White House for comment on the president’s remarks but did not receive a response in time for publication.
