The U.S. military strikes President Donald Trump ordered on Iran’s nuclear facilities did not completely destroy the country’s nuclear program and likely set it back only by months, according to two people familiar with an early intelligence assessment.
The initial report, which is highly classified, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency and U.S. Central Command.
Sources say the U.S. believes based on early intelligence that significant damage was done but mostly to structures above ground.
According to the sources, the enriched uranium was not destroyed and centrifuges are largely intact.
The findings are at odds with President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s insistence that Iran’s nuclear program had been “obliterated.”
When asked to comment, Hegseth stuck by his own assessment of the damage done based on the intelligence he’s seen.
“Based on everything we have seen — and I’ve seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons,” he said in a statement provided to reporters.
“Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target—and worked perfectly. The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission,” he added.
CNN first reported the assessment, which could change as more information is gathered on the attack.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also disputed the finding, alleging it was leaked to CNN by a “low-level loser.”
“This assessment and the leak is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,” she wrote in a statement.
ABC News’ Mary Bruce and Selina Wang contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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