CNN reported on Tuesday that an initial US intelligence assessment has found that the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites didn’t destroy the core components of the sites and likely set back the nuclear program by only a few months.
The assessment was prepared by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and was based on a battle damage assessment from US Central Command, and it could change as the US gathers more intelligence. “So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,” a source told CNN.
The report also said that the US strikes didn’t destroy Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, and the centrifuges were largely “intact.” The assessment contradicts President Trump’s claims that the bombing of the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites “totally obliterated” the facilities.
The White House confirmed the existence of the assessment but said it didn’t agree with the findings. “This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,” Leavitt added.
President Trump also responded to the report, writing on Truth Social, “FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY. THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!”
Iran is still assessing the damage done to its nuclear facilities but has vowed that it will continue its uranium enrichment program. According to The Cradle, Mohammed Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said that “plans for restarting [the facilities] have been prepared in advance.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Iran still was not seeking nuclear weapons but wouldn’t give up its “legitimate rights,” referring to its civilian nuclear program. The US had no evidence that Iran decided to build a bomb before Israel launched its attacks, and Tehran made clear during previous negotiations that it was ready to reduce its uranium enrichment levels as part of a deal with the US.
