Trump, Hegseth admit inconclusivity over Iran nuclear damage
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Trump has insolently compared the strikes on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz sites to the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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Pete Hegseth appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington on January 14, 2025 (AP)
US President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have walked back earlier claims about the severity of the damage caused by US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, as leaked intelligence assessments raise doubts about the operation’s long-term impact, The Guardian reported.
Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump acknowledged for the first time that US intelligence remains “very inconclusive” about the true extent of the destruction.
“The intelligence says we don’t know. It could’ve been very severe. That’s what the intelligence suggests," he said, though he quickly reverted to his earlier rhetoric, repeating, “There was obliteration.”
Trump even compared the strikes on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz sites, where massive bunker-buster bombs were used, to the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hegseth, who previously declared Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been “obliterated", also softened his tone, now describing the damage as “moderate to severe.” He pledged an FBI investigation into the Pentagon leak while dismissing parts of the leaked material as “false".
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine stated that initial assessments indicated the sites had "sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," according to Fox News. Hegseth echoed this view, asserting that the strikes had obliterated Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons, with massive bombs hitting "exactly the right spot."
Pentagon report refutes 'obliteration' claims
However, CNN reported that a preliminary assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency contradicted those claims.
According to sources familiar with the report, the strikes failed to destroy critical components of Iran’s nuclear program or eliminate its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, reportedly only setting back Iran’s program by months rather than years.
Moreover, Hegseth announced Wednesday morning that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into how a draft intelligence report regarding US military strikes in Iran was leaked to the public.
Despite this, Israeli officials alleged the operations "pushed them back years backward."
