Early US Intel Assessment Claims That Strikes On Iran Have Not “Totally Destroyed” Iran’s Nuclear Program

A preliminary intelligence evaluation from the United States indicates that recent airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear locations failed to eliminate the central components of Tehran’s nuclear development efforts. This finding stands in direct contrast to assertions from President Donald Trump and the White House, who claimed the strikes had “totally destroyed” Iran’s nuclear program.

Pressed for comment on Tuesday, the President and White House officials firmly rejected the intelligence community’s conclusions. The analysis, attributed to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon’s intelligence division, suggests Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been hindered temporarily, by merely “a few months,” rather than being dismantled.

CNN first reported details from the classified assessment, which said that while significant damage occurred at facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan during the June 22 airstrikes, much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure survived. This contradicts public declarations from President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the DIA, entrances to the fortified Fordo enrichment facility were successfully targeted by U.S. bunker-buster munitions, yet the subterranean core of the plant was not destroyed. The report further assessed that critical machinery, such as uranium-enriching centrifuges, had likely been evacuated prior to the attacks and are still functional.

Sources with knowledge of the assessment, who spoke to the Associated Press under condition of anonymity, said Iran likely foresaw the air campaign and relocated some of its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium in advance. Their claims are reportedly supported by satellite imagery showing increased truck movement in the days leading up to the strike.

President Trump responded on Truth Social, dismissing the intelligence report as fabricated and politically motivated. “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,” he posted.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also strongly refuted the report, calling it “flat-out wrong.” “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,” she stated. “Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

Neither the CIA nor the Office of the Director of National Intelligence offered any public comment. Israel has also withheld any independent analysis of the strikes.

Also Read: Trump Blasts Israel and Iran Over Ceasefire Breach: “Don’t Know What the F**k They’re Doing”