A recent US intelligence report has revealed that Iran’s nuclear programme has only been delayed by a few months following a US military strike, contradicting claims made by President Donald Trump. The Defence Intelligence Agency’s assessment indicates that while missile strikes targeted key Iranian sites — namely Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — they did not result in their complete destruction as previously asserted by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sources familiar with the report, who wished to remain anonymous, noted that the attack inflicted significant damage but left the nuclear facilities largely intact. In fact, some of Iran’s highly enriched uranium had been moved from these locations before the strikes, allowing a portion to survive. The centrifuges, essential for uranium enrichment, are also reported to be predominantly unharmed.
At the Fordow facility, while there was considerable damage due to structural collapse at the entrance, core underground structures remain operational. Previous assessments had raised concerns that a complete obliteration of the underground infrastructure was unlikely.
The White House swiftly rejected the intelligence assessment, branding it “flat-out wrong” and suggesting it undermined the achievements of the military operation. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that the coordinated airstrikes would naturally lead to total devastation of the targeted sites, asserting that the mission was executed flawlessly.
Trump has publicly maintained that the strikes rendered the nuclear facilities “totally destroyed” and expressed certainty that Iran would never be able to restore its nuclear capabilities. Netanyahu echoed this sentiment, declaring that Israel’s efforts, in collaboration with the US, were crucial to thwarting Iranian nuclear ambitions, which he had been promising to limit for decades.
Both the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence opted to remain silent regarding the DIA’s findings, which focus on assessing the military capabilities of foreign adversaries. The report, first disclosed by CNN, reveals significant discrepancies between official claims and the intelligence community’s analysis of the state of Iran’s nuclear programme post-strike.