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: 16 Palestinians, including 10 children, were martyred in an Israeli bombardment near the al-Zawari junction in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip
US State Department sanctions UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We reiterate our warning to companies dealing with ports in occupied Palestine that their vessels and crews will be targeted anywhere.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We reaffirm our commitment to preventing Israeli maritime activity in both the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Yemeni Armed Forces: This naval military operation was carried out in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and in solidarity with their heroic resistance fighters.
Yemeni Armed Forces: The vessel was targeted after it ignored calls and warnings issued by the Yemeni naval forces.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We targeted the vessel ETERNITY C as it was heading to the occupied port of Umm al-Rashrash using a drone boat and six cruise missiles.
Israeli drones conduct an airstrike on Saboura and Yafour in the Damascus countryside, Syria.
Al-Qassam Brigades: We targeted an Israeli army D9 bulldozer with a Shawaaz explosive device in a resistance operation in the Ma'an area, south of Khan Younis, on June 24
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Syrian army and police forces will only be permitted to carry light weapons in the buffer zones

US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites spark leak probe

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 25 Jun 2025 15:00
3 Min Read

Following the US's attack on Iran's nuclear sites, conflicting reports emerge over the effectiveness of the US strikes, prompting Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to call for a leak investigation into the intelligence assessment.

Listen
  • x
  • A B-2 bomber arrives at Whiteman Air Force Base Mo, on June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/David Smith)
    A B-2 bomber arrives at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, on June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/David Smith)

In its attacks on Iran on Sunday, the United States launched a military attack against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, targeting the facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The offensive involved dropping 12 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Fordow and two on Natanz, along with more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles launched at Isfahan from a US submarine.

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. Defense Secretary Pete 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."

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.

Related News

Rubio sanctions UN’s Francesca Albanese over ICC push on 'Israel'

Borrell blasts 'war criminal' Netanyahu for Trump Nobel nomination

“We’re doing a leak investigation with the FBI right now, because this information is for internal purposes,” said Hegseth, speaking to reporters Wednesday at the NATO summit in The Hague.

Witkoff demands accountability for treasonous leak

Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff expressed outrage over the leak of the intelligence report. Speaking on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle," Witkoff described the leak as "treasonous" and called for an investigation, warning that such disclosures could endanger lives. "It ought to be investigated, and whoever did it should be held accountable," he stated.

US President Donald Trump declared that the United States had "obliterated" Iran’s nuclear program, and Defense Secretary Hegseth emphasized that the impact was buried under "a mountain of rubble," dismissing any doubts about the mission’s success as attempts to undermine the President.

Witkoff backed these claims, stating the Isfahan conversion facility was "completely destroyed," and describing the underground and above-ground facilities at Natanz as "eviscerated," with "Israeli" strikes contributing to the damage.

A classified briefing for lawmakers on the operation’s results is scheduled for Thursday, as the debate continues over the effectiveness of the strikes and the implications of the intelligence leak.

On that note, satellite imagery indicates that reactors at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology and Research Center may have been deliberately spared, Bloomberg reported on Monday, adding that the facility, which includes three operational research reactors, remained undamaged according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 

US officials stated that a full damage assessment will take time, but early analysis suggests deliberate efforts to avoid irradiating active reactor cores. Four senior officials in Vienna confirmed that the Isfahan reactors were not targeted, citing risks of a nuclear incident.

  • war on Iran
  • Iran
  • United States
  • Nuclear facility
  • Natanz facility
  • Fordow nuclear facility
  • Isfahan
War on Iran

War on Iran

Most Read

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' peace deal

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' normalization

  • MENA
  • 4 Jul 2025
Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam hits IOF groupings in Khan Younis; ‘tough incident’ reported

3 Israeli soldiers killed by Resistance gunfire in south, north Gaza

  • Palestine
  • 4 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation
Politics

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese at a press conference during a session of the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, on March 27, 2024. (AFP)
Politics

Rubio sanctions UN’s Francesca Albanese over ICC push on 'Israel'

An Israeli captive is escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hamas seeks full Israeli withdrawal, aid in Gaza truce talks

Tehran demands UN probe into Israeli use of mercenaries inside of Iran
Politics

Tehran demands UN probe into Israeli use of mercenaries inside of Iran

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