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The United States’ strikes connected 3 cardinal Iranian atomic sites connected Sunday failed to destruct underground facilities, and acceptable Tehran’s atomic programme backmost lone by a fewer months, according to an appraisal of a confidential American quality report.
The “top secret” papers prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) – the quality limb of the Pentagon – and published by large US quality outlets connected Tuesday is astatine likelihood with President Donald Trump’s claims astir the strikes. Trump has insisted that the atomic facilities astatine Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were “obliterated” by a operation of bunker busting and accepted bombs.
Trump and his administration’s elder officials are dismissing the quality study and calling retired the reporting implicit the DIA’s appraisal arsenic “fake news”.
Speaking astatine a NATO acme successful The Hague, the US president said helium believed Iran’s atomic programme was acceptable backmost by decades.
So, what did the DIA appraisal accidental astir US strikes? What has Iran said astir the attacks? And however does the quality study opposition with the Trump administration’s nationalist claims?
What did the DIA study say?
A preliminary study prepared by the DIA noted that alternatively than obliterating Iran’s atomic programme, the US bombings had lone acceptable it backmost by a fewer months.
Before Israel attacked Iran connected June 13, US agencies had noted that if Iran rushed to assemble a atomic weapon, it would instrumentality it astir 3 months.
The DIA’s five-page study present estimates this to beryllium delayed by little than six months, reported The New York Times. As per the aboriginal findings, the US strikes blocked the entrances to 2 of the facilities but did not illness the underground facilities.
The DIA study besides reveals that the US bureau believes that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was moved earlier the strikes, which destroyed small of the atomic material.
Shortly aft the US strikes connected June 22, Mehdi Mohammadi, an advisor to the president of the Iranian parliament, claimed that the authorities had evacuated the Fordow installation successful advance. “Iran has been expecting strikes connected Fordow for respective days. This atomic installation was evacuated, nary irreversible harm was sustained during today’s attack,” Mohammadi had said.
The US president connected Wednesday said helium doesn’t bargain Iranian claims that they moved enriched uranium retired of the Fordow atomic facility. “I judge they didn’t person a accidental to get thing retired due to the fact that they acted fast,” said Trump. “If it would person taken 2 weeks, maybe, but it’s precise hard to region that benignant of material… and precise dangerous.
“Plus, they knew we were coming,” Trump added. “And if they cognize we’re coming, they’re not going to beryllium down there.”
CNN archetypal reported connected the DIA report, quoting unnamed officials that the US strikes’ effect connected each 3 sites – Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan – was mostly restricted to aboveground structures, which were severely damaged.
On Tuesday, the Trump medication told the United Nations Security Council that the US strikes had “degraded” the Iranian facilities – abbreviated of Trump’s earlier assertion that the attacks had “obliterated” the sites.
The strikes person reportedly severely damaged the electrical strategy astatine the Fordow facility. However, it was not instantly wide however agelong Iran could instrumentality to summation entree to the underground facilities and repair these systems.
On Monday, Rafael Grossi, the caput of the UN atomic watchdog IAEA, said that portion “no one, including the IAEA, is successful a presumption to person afloat assessed the underground harm astatine Fordow”, it is expected to beryllium “very significant”.
Two radical acquainted with the DIA’s appraisal told CNN that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed and the centrifuges are mostly “intact”.
Some analysts cautioned against drafting last conclusions. Analysts told the Reuters quality bureau that the grade of harm to the Fordow uranium enrichment installation would not needfully beryllium revealed if the appraisal was based connected outer imagery.
How did the US onslaught Iranian atomic sites?
After 10 days of warring betwixt Israel and Iran, the US had militarily intervened connected June 22 by hitting the Iranian atomic sites.
Fordow is simply a highly fortified underground uranium enrichment installation reportedly buried hundreds of metres heavy successful the mountains successful northwestern Iran. While Natanz is Iran’s largest and astir cardinal enrichment complex, containing immense halls of centrifuges, immoderate underground, Isfahan is simply a large atomic probe and accumulation centre that includes a uranium conversion installation and substance fabrication plants.
The US forces dropped 14 30,000-pound (13,000kg) bunker-buster bombs, portion Navy submarines are said to person coordinated strikes by cruise missiles astatine the Natanz and Isfahan sites.
The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) – the astir almighty bunker-buster weaponry successful the US subject arsenal weighing astir 13,000kg (30,000lb) – was utilized successful the strike.
The US involution was understood to beryllium captious for the Israeli run against Iranian atomic facilities, particularly Fordow, owed to its extent that kept it retired of scope for the Israeli military.
How did the DIA study opposition with Trump’s claims?
In March this year, the US spy main Tulsi Gabbard had informed Congress that determination was nary grounds Iran was gathering a atomic weapon, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had not authorised the atomic weapons programme that helium had earlier suspended successful 2003.
On June 17, arsenic Israel and Iran continued to commercialized ballistic missiles, Trump was returning to Washington from the G7 acme successful Canada, erstwhile helium snubbed his ain administration, including the spy main Gabbard, saying she and the intel agencies had gotten it “wrong”.
He claimed that Iran was “very close” to having a atomic weapon. On June 22, the US struck Iranian atomic facilities. “The strikes were a spectacular subject success,” Trump said successful a televised address. “Iran’s cardinal atomic enrichment facilities person been wholly and wholly obliterated.”
The adjacent day, Trump wrote connected his Truth Social platform, “The harm to the Nuclear sites successful Iran is said to beryllium ‘monumental.’ The hits were hard and accurate. Great accomplishment was shown by our military. Thank you!”
On Wednesday, astatine the NATO summit, helium reiterated his stance. “The past happening they [Iran] privation to bash is enrich thing close now… They’re not going to person a weaponry and they’re not going to enrich,” helium said astatine The Hague.
Top officials from his administration, including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, person repeated the obliteration claims since then.
“Based connected everything we person seen – and I’ve seen it each – our bombing run obliterated Iran’s quality to make atomic weapons,” Hegseth said successful a connection provided to Reuters.
“Our monolithic bombs deed precisely the close spot astatine each people – and worked perfectly. The interaction of those bombs is buried nether a upland of rubble successful Iran; truthful anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is conscionable trying to undermine the President and the palmy mission.”
How has Trump, the White House reacted?
Trump spent a bully magnitude of clip letting disconnected steam connected his Truth Social level aft the DIA study dropped.
“THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!” Trump wrote successful all-caps, referring to the reporting by The New York Times and CNN.
“FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY,” Trump said successful a post.
The US president besides posted a bid of seemingly bizarre videos, including 1 of B-2 bombers taking disconnected to a “bomb Iran” opus successful the background.
Trump is presently successful the Netherlands, attending this week’s NATO summit, and reiterated to reporters that the harm from the strikes was significant. “I deliberation it’s been wholly demolished,” helium said, adding, “Those pilots deed their targets. Those targets were obliterated, and the pilots should beryllium fixed credit.
“That spot is nether rock. That spot is demolished,” Trump responded to a question connected the anticipation of Iran rebuilding its atomic program.
He took further shots astatine CNN, saying: “These cablegram networks are existent losers. You’re gutless losers. I accidental that to CNN due to the fact that I ticker it – I person nary choice. I got to ticker it. It’s each garbage. It’s each fake news.”
He said the quality pursuing the strikes successful Iran was “inconclusive”. “The quality says we don’t know. It could’ve been precise severe. That’s what the quality suggests.”
“It was precise severe. There was obliteration,” helium reiterated connected Wednesday.
The White House property secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called the DIA appraisal “flat-out wrong” and leaked to the property “by an anonymous, low-level loser successful the quality community”.
“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 program,” she said successful a statement. “Everyone knows what happens erstwhile you driblet 14 30,000 lb bombs perfectly connected their targets: Total obliteration.”
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