A classified report reviewing bomb damage at Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities has allegedly cast doubt on United States President Donald Trump’s claims the sites have been “obliterated”.
A preliminary assessment reportedly leaked from the Pentagon’s intelligence arm — the Defence Intelligence Agency — found the heavily fortified halls holding most of Iran’s centrifuges remain structurally sound.
The enriched-uranium stockpile was also believed to have been moved before US strikes over the weekend, a claim echoed by experts.
One official quoted in the report calls the setback for Iran’s nuclear program “temporary at best”.
White House doubles down on ‘obliteration’ claims
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the bombs “took these sites off the map.”
“This alleged ‘assessment’ is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” Leavitt said via X.
“Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”
However, experts have disagreed with that assessment.
Weapons expert Jeffrey Lewis, interviewed by CNN, reviewed satellite images of the strike sites, agreed with the assessment that the attacks do not appear to have ended Iran’s nuclear program.
“The ceasefire came without either Israel or the United States being able to destroy several key underground nuclear facilities, including near Natanz, Isfahan and Parchin,” Lewis told CNN.
Apart from reposting earlier victory messages, President Donald Trump quoted United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in a post on his Truth Social account.
Donald Trump has sharply criticised leaked intelligence reports that have undermined his claims about the damage recent US airstrikes inflicted on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Credit: Truth Social
“We put 12 bunker buster bombs on Fordow. There’s no doubt that it breached the canopy … and there’s no doubt that it was OBLITERATED. So, the reporting out there that in some way suggests that we did not achieve the objective is just completely preposterous!” the post said.
What Iran might do next
Director of The Arms Control Association Daryl G. Kimball told reporters that it’s likely Iran planned ahead of the strikes.
“The Iranians said that they were going to remove the 400 kilograms of uranium-enriched to 60 per cent if they were attacked.
“I think we should assume that has happened.”
Kimball also said in a statement that military strikes alone cannot destroy Iran’s extensive nuclear knowledge.
“The strikes will set Iran’s program back, but at the cost of strengthening Tehran’s resolve to reconstitute its sensitive nuclear activities, possibly prompting it to consider withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and possibly proceeding to weaponisation.”
