Attacks on Iran’s nuclear program did not destroy it: US Intelligence

A confidential preliminary US intelligence report has cast doubt on the effectiveness of US attacks on Iran's nuclear program. US media reported on Tuesday, citing intelligence sources, that the attacks only set back Iran's nuclear program by a few months, but did not destroy it. US President Donald Trump dismissed the reports, stressing that Iran's nuclear facilities were "completely destroyed." Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran against rebuilding its nuclear program after a ceasefire came into effect.

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According to media reports, the weekend attacks did not completely destroy Iran's centrifuges and enriched uranium stockpiles. The attacks blocked access to some facilities without destroying underground structures. US President Trump dismissed the reports, criticizing CNN and the New York Times. "The nuclear facilities in Iran have been completely destroyed!" he declared on his online platform Truth Social.

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the authenticity of the intelligence assessment. However, she said it was "completely false and classified as 'Top Secret,' yet leaked anyway." The leak of this "alleged assessment" was a "clear attempt" to discredit Trump and the "courageous fighter pilots." Leavitt called the mission "perfectly executed" and stated on the online service X: "Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total annihilation."

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Trump's Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News that the reports "that in some way suggest that we haven't met the target are just completely absurd." The Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities had been wiped out.

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US B-2 fighter jets attacked two Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend with GBU-57 bunker-busting bombs. A submarine attacked a third facility with Tomahawk cruise missiles. Trump called the attacks a "spectacular military success" and said they "wiped out" the nuclear facilities. The Iranian government said on Tuesday that it had taken the "necessary measures" to ensure the continuation of its nuclear program.

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On Tuesday, a ceasefire between Israel and Iran came into effect after twelve days of war. Israel launched a major attack on Iran on June 13 and has since bombed nuclear facilities and military installations in the country. Iran has since attacked Israel in return with missiles and drones.

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The United States intervened in the war between Israel and Iran on Sunday night, attacking the Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Iran responded by attacking the US air base at Al-Udeid in Qatar on Monday.  Israel justified its attack on Iran with the country's advanced nuclear program. Israel and Western states have accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons for years, a charge Tehran denies.

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After the ceasefire with Iran came into effect on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called it a "historic victory" against the country and warned Tehran against rebuilding its nuclear program. "We have destroyed the nuclear program and will prevent any attempt to rebuild it," Netanyahu said. His country would act "with the same determination and the same severity" in this case. Netanyahu added: "I say it and I repeat it: Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon."

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Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian declared his readiness to return to the negotiating table on Tuesday. According to the official IRNA news agency, he said his country does not seek nuclear weapons but wants to continue to assert its "legitimate rights" to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Iran is "ready to resolve the issues at the negotiating table," Peseschkian said.