US Strikes 'Severely Damaged' Iran's Nuclear Program

CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that US strikes "severely damaged" Iran's nuclear facilities, setting them back years, contradicting a leaked Pentagon intelligence report that suggested the damage was minimal. The US operation involved 125 military aircraft targeting three main Iranian nuclear facilities. US President Donald Trump maintained that the raid "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities and plans to seek a commitment from Iran to end its nuclear ambitions at talks next week. Satellite images show significant damage to the facilities, with reports indicating that rebuilding could take years. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman acknowledged that their nuclear installations were "badly damaged," while the Iranian government has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful.

The CIA has obtained evidence indicating that Iran's nuclear program has been "severely damaged" by recent US strikes on three of its nuclear sites, according to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The evidence includes new intelligence from a reliable source suggesting that several key facilities were destroyed and would take years to rebuild. This assessment contrasts with an initial Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) analysis that suggested the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear ambitions by months. The White House and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have pushed back on the DIA assessment, citing new intelligence that supports the notion that the facilities were destroyed. The final US military "battle damage assessment" is ongoing and could take days or weeks to complete, with multiple agencies scrutinizing the impact of the strikes. US President Donald Trump has maintained that the strikes "obliterated" Iran's ability to produce a nuclear weapon, despite initial assessments suggesting the damage may be limited.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel is holding despite both sides accusing each other of violating the truce. US President Donald Trump said the US will meet with Iran "next week" and that the recent US strikes "obliterated" Iran's ability to produce a nuclear weapon. An Iranian official confirmed that the country's nuclear installations were "badly damaged" following the strikes. Initial US intelligence assessments suggested the strikes only set back Iran's nuclear program by months, but the Trump administration later cited "new intelligence" indicating that the strikes severely damaged Iran's nuclear facilities. The administration is limiting the sharing of classified information with Congress amid concerns of leaks. A Senate briefing on the situation is scheduled for Thursday.

US President Donald Trump claimed that US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities caused "total obliteration," despite a classified report indicating the attack only set back Tehran's nuclear program by a few months. The report's findings were described as "inconclusive" and preliminary. Trump made the comments while on Air Force One, where he also addressed the possibility of regime change in Iran. The US military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities did not destroy the core components of Iran's nuclear program, according to an early US intelligence assessment.

An Israeli assessment determined that US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities set the country's nuclear program back "many years" by destroying "critical infrastructure" at the Fordow nuclear facility, rendering it "inoperable." The Israel Atomic Energy Commission stated that the strikes, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran's military nuclear program, significantly delayed Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons. The assessment aligns with Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson's statement that the country's nuclear installations were "badly damaged."

US President Donald Trump has rejected an initial US intelligence assessment that Iran's nuclear program was only set back by a few months after American strikes, instead claiming it was "obliterated". The CIA later stated that Iranian nuclear facilities were "severely damaged". Trump's dismissal of the intelligence assessment reflects his long history of discrediting US spy agencies, dating back to his 2016 campaign and continuing through his presidency. Trump has previously clashed with the intelligence community over issues such as Russian interference in the 2016 election and has appointed loyalists to lead the agencies, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Experts say Trump's public criticism of the intelligence community is demoralizing and undermines their ability to produce apolitical judgments.

The CIA chief, John Ratcliffe, stated that a US operation against Iran's nuclear sites "severely damaged" the country's nuclear program, citing a "body of credible intelligence" from a reliable source. This contradicts a leaked report from the US Defence Intelligence Agency suggesting the strikes may have only set back Iran's capabilities by a few months. Donald Trump backed Ratcliffe's assessment, calling the leaked report "fake news" and claiming the targets were "totally obliterated." Trump announced that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth would hold a news conference to provide further information.

The US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities have sparked a debate over their success, with President Donald Trump claiming they severely damaged Iran's nuclear program, while Democrats argue that the extent of the damage is unclear. A leaked preliminary intelligence report suggested the strikes only set back Iran's nuclear ambitions by "months", contradicting Trump's claim that the facilities were "obliterated". The truth about the success of the airstrikes remains unclear as the damage was done to underground facilities, making it difficult to assess without further investigation.

The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, stated that US strikes had "severely damaged" Iran's nuclear program, while President Trump continued to claim that the facilities had been "obliterated." The Defense Intelligence Agency's initial report, based on information from 24 hours after the attack, described the damage as ranging from moderate to severe and said the nuclear program had been delayed by months, but with "low confidence" in that finding. Other US spy agencies, including the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, are assessing the damage, with some new intelligence suggesting it would take Iran years to rebuild the sites if it chose to do so. The varying assessments have sparked controversy, with some lawmakers expressing concern that the administration is manipulating intelligence to support a political narrative.