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
Russian Foreign Ministry: Moscow has lodged a protest with Israeli authorities over the attack on a vehicle belonging to the Representative office of the Russian Federation to Palestinian National Authority
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Brital, Baalbek
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone launched three missiles on the Baalbek-Rayak international road in eastern Lebanon
Salam: The army has been tasked with developing a plan for "state weapons monopoly" by the end of this year and presenting it to the ministerial council before the 31st of this month
Salam: Discussion of the US document paper will be pursued in a government session next Thursday
Salam: We affirm Lebanon's right to self-defense in the event of any aggression.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in a statement after the government session that discussed the "state weapons monopoly" clause: Based on the ministerial statement, the Lebanese state is committed to implementing international resolution 1701
Sheikh Qassem: Lebanon is a country where sacrifices and blood have been made, and we will discuss any matter related to it in Lebanon; no one think of imposing any diktats on us
Sheikh Qassem: We must beware of the advocates of sedition whose hands are stained with blood and who serve the Israeli project
Sheikh Qassem: We are a fundamental component of Lebanon, so how the resistance is approached must be reconsidered

US intel refutes Trump claim, Iran nuclear facilities not destroyed

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: CNN
  • 24 Jun 2025 23:17
  • 5 Shares
5 Min Read

A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment reveals that recent US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities caused limited damage, contradicting Donald Trump’s claims of "obliteration".

Listen
  • x
  • This satellite picture by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment site at Fordo following U.S. airstrikes targeting the facility, on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (AP)
    This satellite picture by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment site at Fordow following US airstrikes targeting the facility, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

The US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by a few months, countering Donald Trump's claims of "obliteration", CNN reported, citing three sources briefed on a US intel analysis.

The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's intelligence arm, and is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by the US Central Command after the strikes, according to one of the sources.

The analysis of the damage to the sites and the impact of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear ambitions is ongoing and could change as more intelligence becomes available, though the early findings contradict President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the strikes "completely and totally obliterated" Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth echoed these claims.

Read More: Blinken slams Trump’s strikes on Iran as 'unwise', 'unnecessary'

US intel says strike did not obliterate, White House disagrees

Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, and the centrifuges remain largely "intact", according to the Defense Intelligence Agency assessment, which concluded that the US strikes set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months, at most, according to two of the people familiar with the assessment.

The White House outright disagreed with the assessment, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt telling CNN that the intelligence assessment was incorrect, claiming it was improperly leaked by an unnamed, low-level official.

She asserted the disclosure was meant to undermine President Trump and discredit the military operation, insisting that the precision airstrikes, which deployed fourteen 30,000-pound bombs, completely destroyed Iran's nuclear program. Meanwhile, the US military claimed that the strikes on Iran went as planned and were an "overwhelming success".

The US currently lacks a comprehensive understanding of the strikes' full impact, as it remains too early for a complete assessment. The US continues gathering intelligence, including from within Iran, to evaluate the damage, CNN reported.

Read More: France distances itself from US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites

Related News

Israeli strike on Brital kills one; assaults continue in South Lebanon

Israeli violations persist in southern Syria: Demolitions, checkpoints

Iran's uranium, centrifuges remain intact

In the days preceding the US military operation, "Israel" had been conducting strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities but asserted that the US's 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs were necessary to complete the mission.

US B-2 bombers dropped more than a dozen bombs on two nuclear facilities, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Natanz Enrichment Complex, though the strikes failed to fully destroy the sites' centrifuges and stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, according to individuals familiar with the assessment.

The strikes caused significant damage to aboveground structures at the three targeted sites, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, including their power infrastructure and facilities used for converting uranium into bomb-grade metal, but left critical underground components largely intact, according to the sources.

Israeli media outlets reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump "celebrated early", pointing to US intelligence reports on the undamaged uranium stockpiles. Israeli media also highlighted the split within the US administration regarding their assessment of the strikes' results. 

Trump admin claims obliteration, US officials say otherwise

“Based on everything we have seen, and I’ve seen it all, our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons. Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target and worked perfectly," Hegseth told CNN.

The Defense Secretary claimed that the spokesperson emphasized that the destructive power of the bombs remains evident beneath the massive debris in Iran, dismissing any claims to the contrary as politically motivated attempts to disparage both the President and the operation's clear success.

On Tuesday morning, Trump reiterated his conviction that the strikes caused substantial damage, stating that he believes the targets were "completely demolished" and praising the pilots for successfully hitting and obliterating their objectives while emphasizing they deserve full credit for the operation.

While Trump and Hegseth have expressed confidence in the strikes' success, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine stated on Sunday that the damage assessment remains ongoing and cautioned that it would be premature to determine whether Iran retains any nuclear capabilities.

Read More: Behind the scenes: Trump's decision to strike Iran mapped - CNN

Cancelled briefings expose more

Classified briefings for both the House and Senate regarding the operation, originally scheduled for Tuesday, were postponed, with the all-Senate briefing now rescheduled for Thursday, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

According to two separate sources familiar with the matter, the briefing for all House lawmakers has been postponed as well, though the reasons for the delay and the new scheduling timeline remain unclear at this time.

Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan of New York criticized the cancellation of the classified House briefing on the Iran strikes in a social media post, emphasizing that the move came without explanation and implying the administration avoided the session because it couldn't substantiate Trump's claims of completely destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and capabilities.

Trump just cancelled a classified House briefing on the Iran strikes with zero explanation.

The real reason?

He claims he destroyed “all nuclear facilities and capability;” his team knows they can’t back up his bluster and BS

Here's what they're scared we'll ask:

🧵

— Pat Ryan 🇺🇸 (@PatRyanUC) June 24, 2025

  • Israel
  • Natanz nuclear plant
  • Iranian nuclear facilities
  • Fordow nuclear facility
  • US strikes on Iran
  • Iranian Nuclear Program
  • Donald Trump
  • Iran
War on Iran

War on Iran

Most Read

An Israeli tank explodes following an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, Occupied Palestine, undated (Al-Qassam Military Media)

Al-Qassam strikes Israeli vehicles in Gaza, inflicts casualties

  • Politics
  • 30 Jul 2025
UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

  • Politics
  • 1 Aug 2025
Protesters chant anti-Israeli slogans as they carry a banner that reads:" Freedom for Palestine, Alliance stop the war," during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, outside the Israeli embassy, in Athens, Monday, June 9, 2025 (AP)

Athens mayor slams Israeli ambassador over Gaza war, graffiti claim

  • Politics
  • 3 Aug 2025
An explosion seen during an Iranian missile attack on Tel Aviv, Occupied Palestine, June 13, 2025 (AP)

If Iran is attacked again, geography of response may change: IRGC spox

  • Politics
  • 30 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli soldiers drive on their armored personnel carrier back from inside the northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Full occupation of Gaza on the table despite military's opposition

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the audience at a conference in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, Sunday, July 27, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu blamed for sabotaging Gaza captives deal, say their families

A mine operated by Serra Verde Mining in Minacu, Goias state, Brazil, Monday, July 28, 2025 (AP)
Politics

China’s mineral export ban disrupts US defense supply chain

ap
Politics

Aid allowed by 'Israel' covers only 14% of Gaza's needs: Media Office

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