Pentagon still cannot confirm Iran nuclear sites destruction
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The US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is unable to verify whether its GBU-57 bunker buster bombs destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities due to a lack of data.
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Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine watches a test video of the ordinance used in the attack on the Iranian Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Washington (AP)
The US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has not yet verified whether the June 22 airstrike using its GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs successfully destroyed Iranian nuclear facilities, according to two senior DTRA officials speaking to AP.
The DTRA is the US agency responsible for the development and production of the GBU-57 bunker buster bombs used in the United States' bombing of Iran's nuclear sites.
According to the officials, DTRA cannot confirm if the bombs penetrated deeply enough to completely destroy the nuclear facilities, as the agency has not yet acquired the necessary data to conclusively verify the operation's outcome.
President Trump insists US strikes "obliterated" three Iranian nuclear sites; however, US and international assessments are more cautious; a preliminary US Defense Intelligence Agency report acknowledges significant damage at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan but confirms no destruction.
The June 22 US military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities failed to destroy core components of the nuclear program, likely delaying it by mere months, according to a June 24 CNN report, citing three sources familiar with a US intelligence analysis, contradicting President Trump's "obliteration" claims.
What is Trump hiding?
In response to the leaks, the Trump administration announced a war on leakers, and in an attempt at damage control, the White House sent four of Trump's most senior officials: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Senior congressional Democrats have been sharply criticizing President Trump's move to limit classified intelligence sharing with Congress after media leaks revealed preliminary assessments of US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led the charge, telling Axios, "This isn't about national security, it's about Trump's insecurity. President Trump is cutting off intelligence to Congress, raising one clear question: what is he hiding?"
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin noted that the administration was embarrassed by the leaks because it suggested that, contrary to Trump's claims, Iran's nuclear sites were not obliterated.
Moreover, the US President lashed out at CNN journalist Natasha Bertrand, who wrote the report based on the leaks, and called for her to be dismissed for challenging his narrative that the US strikes were a decisive victory.
