Trump Blasts Reports Questioning Success Of US Bombing Of Iranian Nuclear Sites

By RFE/RL June 25, 2025

President Donald Trump and the Pentagon have blasted US media reports based on unidentified sources that the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend likely only set back Tehran's nuclear program by months.

The reports -- initially broadcast on CNN on June 24 before other outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Reuters had similar reporting -- quoted an assessment produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon's intelligence arm, that is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the strikes.

The assessment said the attack did not destroy the core components of Iran's nuclear program, putting it at odds with President Donald Trump's claim that the strikes "completely and totally obliterated" Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement posted on X that the "alleged assessment is flat-out wrong" before Trump weighed in, saying the reports were trying to "demean one of the most successful military strikes in history."

Some analysts had previously expressed doubt over Trump's claim that the sites were destroyed.

The media reports on June 24 also quoted unnamed people who had been briefed on the contents as confirming what was being reported about the assessment.

One person quoted by CNN said the assessment says the strikes set Iran back "maybe a few months, tops."

The news reports also noted that the DIA analysis is ongoing and could change as more intelligence becomes available.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also pushed back on the report, backing Trump's assessment.

"Based on everything we've seen, and I've seen it all, our bombing campaign obliterated Iran's ability to create nuclear weapons," Hegseth said.

"Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target and worked perfectly."

He added that the impact of the bombs "is buried under a mountain of rubble," so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the president on a successful mission.

Since the June 21 bombings by the United States, a lack of detailed information on the results have fueled speculation over how effective they were.

Satellite images showed gaping holes in areas at the site, but with the facility deep underground, damage wasn't visible.

Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog (IAEA), said on June 23 that the air strikes probably caused "very significant" damage to Fordow, a major uranium enrichment facility.

"At this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow," Grossi said in a statement to an emergency meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors.

The IAEA has not been able to carry out inspections in Iran because of the conflict.

"Given the explosive payload utilized and the extreme(ly) vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred," Grossi added.

Grossi also noted that the agency doesn't know the whereabouts of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.

"We are making an assumption, which is not speculative…because Iran officially told me we are going to be taking protective measures. Which may or may not include moving around this material."

"There is a question there. Where is this? So the way to ascertain that is to allow the inspection activity to resume as soon as possible. This would be for the benefit of all," Grossi said.

He also said he would not argue with Vice President JD Vance's comment that if Iran has uranium enriched to 60 percent, but doesn't have the ability to enrich it to 90 percent, and doesn't have the ability to convert that to a nuclear weapon, "that is mission success" and the "obliteration of their nuclear program."

Grossi told Fox News Vance's assessment can be considered correct from the perspective of the United States.

"He's talking about the military mission and the criteria for success," Grossi said.

"I respect that, but my job is a different one. [It is] to see where is the material because Iran has an obligation to report and account for all the material they have."

Danny Danon, Israel's UN ambassador, also said it was still too early to assess the strikes, but noted "we know we were able to push back the [nuclear] program."

"We were able to remove the imminent threat that we had," he said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nuclear-destroyed- trump-vance/33453841.html

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Trump Blasts Reports Questioning Success Of US Bombing Of Iranian Nuclear Sites