A classified preliminary assessment by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has found that President Donald Trump’s recent military strikes on Iran set back its nuclear programme by only a few months—contradicting his claim that the sites were “completely destroyed.”
The report, cited by U.S. media on Tuesday, states that while some damage was done, the strikes failed to eliminate Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles or fully disable centrifuge operations. Instead, bunker-busting bombs sealed off entrances to key sites, but the underground infrastructure housing critical components remained largely intact.
President Trump dismissed the assessment, accusing outlets like CNN and The New York Times of trying to “discredit the mission.” “THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!” he wrote on Truth Social.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the existence of the DIA report but rejected its findings, calling it “flat-out wrong.” She suggested the leak was politically motivated. “Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on target: total obliteration,” she wrote on X.
Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, echoed that stance, claiming in a Fox News interview that the nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo were “effectively destroyed.” He said Iran would need years to rebuild its capabilities.
The strikes, launched over the weekend, involved B-2 stealth bombers deploying GBU-57 bunker-busters and a guided missile submarine firing Tomahawk cruise missiles. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the mission as a “devastating blow” to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
However, U.S. military chief General Dan Caine offered a more measured view, saying the attacks caused “extremely severe damage” but did not fully dismantle Iran’s ability to restart its programme.
In response, Iran has activated contingency plans to resume operations. Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, said production had not been disrupted and that preparations to restart were already in place.
An adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed Iran still holds enriched uranium and warned that “the game is not over.”
The U.S. strikes followed an earlier Israeli air campaign on June 13 targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, scientists, and senior officials.
President Trump—who withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term—had reportedly explored diplomatic options before authorising military action. The Pentagon described the strikes as one of the most extensive operations in recent years, involving over 125 aircraft and advanced weaponry.
