President Donald Trump on Wednesday asserted that U.S. airstrikes delivered a major blow to Iran’s nuclear program, despite an early U.S. intelligence report suggesting the damage was minimal.
“This was a devastating attack that left them reeling,” Trump said, as his administration mobilized senior officials to support his claim that Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely and fully obliterated.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the leaked intelligence report — which indicated Iran’s nuclear activities may only face a short-term disruption of a few months — calling it “preliminary” and “low confidence.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio went further, labeling those who leaked the assessment as “professional stabbers.”
The White House cited a statement from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission claiming Iran’s nuclear efforts had suffered a “many years” setback.
Trump says US, Iran to talk next week with war over
Assessing the real impact of the U.S. strikes remains challenging, fueling conflicting narratives that could influence American public opinion on Trump’s high-stakes decision to participate in Israel's offensive against Iran. The situation also raises questions about Trump's next moves in the region, where diplomatic steps may be necessary to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear capabilities.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but U.S. and Israeli leaders have accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons.
One major target of the U.S. attack was Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility, located deep underground. According to the Israeli commission, the bombing rendered the site “inoperable.” That statement was distributed by both the White House and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The American strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, along with Israeli attacks on other military nuclear sites, have “set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years,” according to the joint statement.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed to Al Jazeera that Iran’s nuclear sites suffered significant damage. “Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” he admitted.
The incident has reignited Trump’s longstanding tensions with intelligence agencies and leakers, whom he often accuses of belonging to a “deep state” aimed at sabotaging his agenda. He also harshly criticized media outlets reporting on the classified intelligence, calling them “scum” and “disgusting.”
Trump argued that questioning the success of the strikes insults the U.S. military, noting that stealth bombers flew halfway around the globe to carry out precision attacks with bunker-busting munitions.
“These reports are very unfair to the pilots who risked their lives for our country,” he said.
A key unanswered question is whether enriched uranium — which could potentially be converted into nuclear weapons fuel — was removed from the targeted sites before the strikes.
“I believe they didn’t have a chance to get anything out, because we acted fast,” Trump stated, adding that transporting such material is extremely difficult and dangerous.
Classified briefings for lawmakers on the situation, initially scheduled for Tuesday, have been postponed to Thursday and Friday.