Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: One was martyred in a raid that targeted the town of Kfour, Nabatieh District
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: One was martyred in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a truck in the town of Naqoura
Defense Attorney: Lebanese activist George Ibrahim Abdallah will be released on July 25
Georges Abdallah's defense attorney: The decision to release Lebanese activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah will be issued in a few minutes
The French judiciary decided to release Lebanese activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah after 41 years of detention
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The death toll from the al-Sudaniyya massacre, northwest of Gaza City, has risen to 15
Around 50 people were killed and injured in a fire that swept through a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut
Israeli occupation army: Two soldiers from the 202nd Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade were seriously injured in a battle in the northern Gaza Strip
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 8 killed as Israeli occupation forces targeted aid workers in the al-Sudaniyya area, northwest of Gaza City
Yemeni Armed Forces: We carried out three operations targeting Umm al-Rashrash Port, a military target in al-Naqab, and Lydd Airport with four drones

Trump, Hegseth admit inconclusivity over Iran nuclear damage

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 25 Jun 2025 18:47
  • 1 Shares
2 Min Read

Trump has insolently compared the strikes on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz sites to the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Listen
  • x
  • Trump and Hegseth cast doubt on damage to Iran’s nuclear sites
    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.

Related News

Iran at UN: Netanyahu dragging US into costly aggression

'Israel', US face risks in targeting Iran's underground nuclear sites

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."

  • war on Iran
  • US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
  • Tehran
  • Israel
  • Donald Trump
  • Iran
  • Iran nuclear sites
  • Pete Hegseth
  • US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
War on Iran

War on Iran

Most Read

An Israeli soldier abandons an excavator during an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades. Arabic text reads "The moment the soldier fled", July, 10, 2025 (Al Qassam Military Media)

Israeli media rue al-Qassam footage, alarmed by fighters among troops

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after an Iranian attack at the al Udeid Airbase outside of Doha, Qatar, June 25, 2025 (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Satellite images show Iran attack damaged US comms dome in Qatari base

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

  • Analysis
  • 11 Jul 2025
Credible reports, including some from Israeli media itself, indicate that Tel Aviv had pinned its hopes on what can only be described as a delusional plan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Jebraily: Iran strikes rewrote regional deterrence rules - Exclusive

  • MENA
  • 15 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Druze from Syria protest in the Israeli-occupied Majdal Shams of the occupied Golan Heights, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Syria's Druze leaders divided over ceasefire; IOF vow more operations

Special Envoy of the Iranian Foreign Minister and his Assistant for West Asian Affairs, Raouf Sheibani. (IRNA)
Politics

Iran will not yield to snapback threats: Iran FM advisor - Exclusive

Mourners attend the funeral of the Palestinian teenager Amjad Nassar Awad Hawshiya, 15, who was killed in an Israeli raid, in the West Bank village of Yatta, south of al-Khalil, Tuesday, July 1, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' transfers Ibrahimi Mosque authority to settler council

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington (AP)
Politics

Trump admin. to deny bond hearings for undocumented immigrants

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS