Published on 6/30/2026
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Last updated: 7/1/2026 00:22 (Mecca time)
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, said that the country capable of harnessing technological superiority will be the most capable of shaping the future of the world, stressing that American forces were able to penetrate Iranian airspace using exclusive technologies that no other country possesses, he said.
During a speech at a technology summit on Tuesday, Ratcliffe provided a rare picture of the intelligence backbone behind the recent US operations in Iran and Venezuela.
Ratcliffe said that the CIA provided an accurate and error-free intelligence picture that was crucial during Operation Midnight Hammer last June.
He pointed out that this information enabled more than 120 American aircraft to penetrate Iranian airspace and carry out precise strikes targeting nuclear facilities, before Iran was able to monitor or respond to the operation.
“And again, just two months ago, the agency once again played a pivotal role during Operation Epic Fury when it rescued the crew of an F-15 attack plane that was shot down in Iran,” he added.
The senior American official continued: “We launched a search operation that President Donald Trump said was equivalent to searching for a needle in a haystack.”
Ratcliffe said, “The operation baffled the Iranians, and despite their attempts to stop us and their advantage of operating on their territory, the success of the operation was based on the innovation, creativity, and technological expertise that we possess. In the end, it was a research operation supported by technology, and no party except the CIA could have carried it out successfully, which is what we actually did.”
Operation “Midnight Hammer” refers to the surprise American attack carried out by Washington in June 2025, during which it targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure using 7 stealth B-2 bombers, by bombing the main nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
On February 28, Trump issued orders to carry out an operation called “Epic Rage,” which began that morning with the bombing of large targets inside Iran, resulting in the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a number of senior Iranian military leaders.
