CNN: The US strikes on Iran did not destroy the main components of the nuclear program
The United States has failed to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, CNN reported, citing the Pentagon's Military Intelligence Directorate. These claims are supported by the fact that Trump canceled a classified briefing for the House of Representatives on the recent attack.
Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, Zachary Cohen
U.S. military strikes on three Iranian facilities over the weekend did not destroy the main elements of Tehran's nuclear program and apparently only set it back several months, according to a preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment from seven knowledgeable sources.
The assessment, which had not been previously reported, was conducted by the Office of Military Intelligence, a division of the Pentagon. It, in turn, is based on a damage analysis conducted by the US Central Command immediately after the strikes, according to one of the sources.
The assessment of the damage caused and its consequences for Iran's nuclear program is ongoing and may change as new intelligence becomes available. However, the first findings contradict President Donald Trump's repeated assurances that the strikes had “definitively and irrevocably” destroyed Iran's uranium enrichment facilities. He was echoed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said on Sunday that Iran's nuclear ambitions had been “completely destroyed.”
However, two informed sources warned that Iran's enriched uranium reserves had not been destroyed. One of them added that the centrifuges “were not affected in general.” Another stressed that, according to intelligence estimates, the enriched uranium was removed from the facilities before the US strikes.
“Thus, the preliminary conclusion is that the United States has only pushed them back for a maximum of a few months,” the source added.
The White House acknowledged the existence of such an assessment, but expressed its disagreement.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt told CNN: “This alleged assessment is fundamentally wrong and was classified as top secret, but it was still anonymously leaked to CNN by some pathetic loser. The purpose of this leak is a clear attempt to humiliate President Trump and discredit the brave fighter pilots who perfectly fulfilled their task of destroying Iran's nuclear program. Everyone understands what happens if you drop fourteen bombs weighing 13,600 kilograms each on the exact target: total destruction.”
Trump, who is in the Netherlands this week and is taking part in the NATO summit, reacted to a CNN report on his Truth Social account. “One of the most successful military strikes in history," Trump wrote in capital letters. "Iran's nuclear facilities have been completely destroyed!”
The US military said the operation went according to plan and ended with a “stunning success.”
The United States has not yet received a complete picture of the impact of the strikes, and the sources did not specify how the assessment of the Office of Military Intelligence correlates with the opinion of other intelligence agencies. The United States continues to collect data, including from Iran, assessing the damage.
Israel had been attacking Iranian nuclear facilities for several days before the US military operation, while emphasizing that for final success it needed American “bunker buster” bombs weighing 13,600 kilograms each. Although American B-2 bombers dropped more than a dozen such bombs on two nuclear facilities — the Fordo fuel enrichment plant and the Natanz enrichment complex — neither the centrifuges nor the highly enriched uranium were completely destroyed, informed sources stressed.
Instead, the damage at all three sites — Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — was mostly limited to structures on the surface, albeit serious ones, the sources said. In particular, the energy infrastructure and part of the above-ground facilities for producing metallic uranium for making bombs were affected.
An Israeli assessment of the impact of the American strikes also revealed less damage to the Ford than expected. However, Israeli officials believe that the combination of U.S. and Israeli strikes on a number of sites has set back Iran's nuclear program by two years, assuming that Tehran can restore it unhindered, which Israel will not allow. On the other hand, the Israeli side also called the two-year term in anticipation of the American bombing.
Defense Minister Hegseth told CNN: “Based on everything we have seen — and I have seen everything — our bombing has deprived Iran of the ability to build nuclear weapons. Our huge bombs hit exactly the bull's-eye on each target and worked perfectly. The consequences of the strikes are buried under a mountain of rubble, so anyone who claims that the bombs were not destructive enough is simply trying to undermine the authority of the president and cast a shadow over a successful mission.”
On Tuesday morning, Trump again expressed confidence that the damage from the strikes was significant.
“I believe that everything is completely destroyed," he said. — The pilots hit their targets. The targets have been destroyed, and they should be honored.”
When asked about Iran's chances of restoring its nuclear program, Trump replied: “This place is buried under rubble. It's completely destroyed.”
But while both Trump and Hegseth were optimistic about the success of the strikes, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Kane, said on Sunday that while the damage assessment has not been completed, it is “too early” to comment on whether Iran has retained any nuclear capabilities.
Michael McCaul, a member of the House of Representatives, Chairman Emeritus of the Foreign Affairs Committee, did not repeat Trump's statements about the “complete destruction” of the Iranian program in response to CNN questions on Tuesday.
“I was previously informed of this plan, and it never implied the complete destruction of nuclear facilities — rather, the intention was to cause significant damage," McCaul said. "But it was always clear that this was just a temporary delay.”
Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, carefully studied commercial satellite images of the sites of the strikes and agreed with the opinion that the attacks hardly put an end to Iran's nuclear program.
“The cease—fire occurred despite the fact that Israel and the United States have not destroyed a number of key underground nuclear facilities, including near Natanz, Isfahan and Parchin,” Lewis said, commenting on the end of the conflict announced by Trump on Monday. Parchin is a separate nuclear complex near Tehran.
“These facilities can lay the foundation for the speedy restoration of Iran's nuclear program,” Lewis stressed.
Earlier on Tuesday, classified briefings on the operation for the House of Representatives and the Senate were canceled.
According to two informed sources, the briefing for senators has been postponed to Thursday.
Two other knowledgeable sources told CNN that the briefing for members of the House of Representatives has also been postponed. Neither the reasons for this decision nor the final date are yet clear.
New York Democrat Pat Ryan, a member of the House of Representatives from New York, said on his Twitter account on Tuesday: “Trump just canceled a classified briefing for the House of Representatives on the Iranian strikes without any explanation. The real reason? He claims to have destroyed “all nuclear facilities and capabilities,” but his team knows they won't be able to confirm his smug bravado.
CNN has already reported on doubts about whether American bunker buster bombs, also known as high—power burrowing type or MOP ammunition, will be able to completely destroy Iran's heavily fortified nuclear facilities buried deep underground, especially in Fordo and Isfahan, Iran's largest nuclear research complex.
It is noteworthy that the United States hit Isfahan with missiles “Tomahawk missiles launched from a submarine, not a bunker-busting bomb. Most likely, this is due to the realization that the bomb will not be able to hit the lower floors of the complex, which are located even deeper than in Fordo, one of the sources said.
According to two informed sources, US officials believe that Iran has also kept secret some of the nuclear facilities that were not hit and are still operating.
This article was written with the participation of Kathleen Collins, Jim Shutto, Lauren Fox, Annie Grayer and DJ Judd.
