Trump insists Iran nuclear sites ‘completely destroyed’ in US strikes

The US bombed Iran’s atomic sites Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan connected June 22.

United States President Donald Trump has insisted that the strikes connected respective of Iran’s atomic sites past week “completely destroyed” the facilities, rejecting US media reports citing a Pentagon appraisal that the attacks lone acceptable Tehran’s atomic programme backmost by a fewer months.

An archetypal quality valuation suggested that the US bombardment failed to destruct Iran’s underground atomic facilities, The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN reported connected Tuesday, citing officials acquainted with the subject quality study from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Two radical acquainted with the appraisal had told CNN that Iran’s “enriched uranium was not destroyed” and the centrifuges were “largely intact”.

Another root told the US broadcaster that, according to the assessment, enriched uranium had been moved earlier the US strikes connected Sunday.

Trump has maintained that the US strikes destroyed atomic facilities astatine Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

“Fake quality CNN, unneurotic with the failing New York Times, person teamed up successful an effort to demean 1 of the astir palmy subject strikes successful history,” Trump wrote successful a station connected his Truth Social platform.

“The atomic sites successful Iran are wholly destroyed!” helium wrote.

When reporters asked him astir Iran rebuilding its nuclear programme connected Tuesday, Trump said: “That spot is nether rock. That spot is demolished.”

The White House said the quality appraisal was “flat-out wrong”.

Press caput Karoline Leavitt told CNN successful a statement: “Everyone knows what happens erstwhile you driblet fourteen 30,000 lb bombs perfectly connected their targets: full obliteration.”

Steve Witkoff, the US peculiar envoy to the Middle East, besides dismissed the quality report.

“All 3 of those had most, if not all, the centrifuges damaged oregon destroyed successful a mode that it volition beryllium astir intolerable for them to resurrect that programme,” Witkoff told Fox News connected Monday night.

“In my view, and successful galore different experts’ views who person seen the earthy data, it volition instrumentality a play of years.”

Witkoff besides called the leaking of the study “treasonous”.

“It ought to beryllium investigated. And whoever did it, whoever is liable for it, should beryllium held accountable,” helium added.

Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi said an accusation warfare is nether way.

“There are intelligibly figures successful Washington who are precise keen to leak a precise preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency bombing assessment,” helium said.

He noted that White House reporters received a property statement, saying the “leaking of this alleged appraisal is simply a wide effort to demean President Trump and discredit the brave combatant pilots who conducted a perfectly executed ngo to obliterate Iran’s atomic programme”.

“This is the archetypal infinitesimal we are seeing, post-bombing, of the accusation scenery and however this accusation volition beryllium utilized and what effect it mightiness person connected Donald Trump going forward,” Rattansi said.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies