WASHINGTON DC: The White House has rejected a leaked U.S. intelligence assessment suggesting that recent U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities failed to dismantle its nuclear program and only delayed its progress by a few months.
The report, attributed to the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency and shared with CBS and other outlets, claims that Iran’s centrifuges remain mostly intact and that the damage was largely limited to aboveground structures.
In response, the Trump administration strongly pushed back, calling the assessment “flat-out wrong” and accusing it of being a deliberate effort to undermine President Trump, international media reports said.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, went further, labeling the leak as “treasonous” and urging a full investigation into those responsible. He insisted that all three targeted sites — Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan — were “obliterated,” citing internal damage reports, according to BBC.
Trump echoed these claims on Truth Social, sharing a clip from Witkoff’s Fox News interview. In the segment, Witkoff stated that 12 bunker-busting bombs were used on Fordo and confidently claimed the attack breached the underground facility’s protective canopy.
However, sources familiar with the early Pentagon evaluation told U.S. media that Iran’s key nuclear assets — particularly underground centrifuges — remained functional, BBC stated.
While the strikes sealed some entrances and damaged surface-level infrastructure, the core capabilities of the facilities appeared largely unaffected. They also noted that a portion of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile had been relocated prior to the assault, suggesting Tehran may have anticipated the strike.
Despite the debate over the extent of the damage, a ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding, with both countries acknowledging its current status.
(Inputs from BBC)
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