The United States did not destroy the core components of Iran’s nuclear program, contrary to earlier claims made by President Trump.
According to a CNN report, recent US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend failed to eliminate the main elements of the program. An early US intelligence assessment, not previously reported, suggests the strikes likely set back Iran’s capabilities by only a few months.
This assessment was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency—the Pentagon’s intelligence branch—and is based on a battle damage evaluation conducted by US Central Command following the strikes, according to one source.
CNN reported that two individuals familiar with the assessment confirmed Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One source stated that the centrifuges remain largely “intact.” Another added that the enriched uranium had likely been relocated from the targeted sites before the strikes occurred.
While the White House acknowledged the existence of this assessment, it strongly disagreed with this report about Iran’s nuclear program.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN: “This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret,’ yet was leaked by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community. This leak is a clear attempt to undermine President Trump and discredit the brave fighter pilots who executed a flawless 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.”
