US military officials say Iran’s facilities are ‘destroyed’ after strike

United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine person responded to a leaked quality study suggesting the military’s strikes against Iran’s atomic facilities apt enactment the state backmost by specified months.

In a Thursday greeting quality league from the Pentagon, the 2 officials maintained that Iran’s atomic programme had been destroyed, echoing President Donald Trump’s mentation of events.

But that contradicted a preliminary report, produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), saying the June 22 bombing run was a comparatively insignificant setback for Iran’s atomic capabilities, which could beryllium restored wrong months.

“President Trump delivered the astir analyzable and secretive subject cognition successful history, and it was a resounding occurrence resulting successful the ceasefire statement and the extremity of the 12-day war,” said Hegseth.

“Because of decisive subject action, President Trump created the conditions to extremity the war, decimating — take your connection — obliterating, destroying Iran’s atomic capabilities.”

Drawing reliable conclusions astir the effect of the US strikes is hard lone days aft they took place.

President Trump has insisted, however, that the US strikes delivered a “devastating” attack. He has besides told reporters that questioning his appraisal of the onslaught was not lone unpatriotic but besides made the pilots who dropped the bombs “very upset”.

While Hegseth and Caine spoke, Trump encouraged his followers connected the level Truth Social to ticker their remarks, calling it “one of the greatest, astir professional, and astir ‘confirming’ News Conferences I person ever seen!”

He besides wrote that quality outlets similar The New York Times and CNN would beryllium “firing the reporters who made up the FAKE stories” connected the Iran bombing campaign, though determination is nary grounds to enactment that assertion.

A time earlier, connected Wednesday, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe said the US attacks successful Iran caused terrible harm to Tehran’s atomic programme.

“New quality from ‘historically reliable’ methods had shown that ‘several cardinal Iranian atomic facilities were destroyed and would person to beryllium rebuilt implicit the people of years,'” Ratcliffe said successful a statement, which lacked further details.

A subject assessment

The June 22 bombing run marked the US’s lone nonstop involution successful what Trump has dubbed the 12-Day War betwixt Iran and Israel.

The struggle started connected June 13, erstwhile Israel launched a bid of attacks connected subject targets successful Iran, sidesplitting respective generals and scientists successful its atomic programme.

Israel argued the attacks were indispensable to hobble Iran’s efforts to get a atomic weapon. Iran, meanwhile, has maintained it has ne'er sought to make a atomic limb and alternatively uses its atomic enrichment programme to make civilian energy. It responded with a rocket barrage of its ain against Israel.

The US has agelong been an ardent state of Israel, but successful the aboriginal days of the conflict, Trump avoided committing the US to immoderate nonstop involvement. That changed connected June 22, erstwhile helium sent 7 B-2 bombers to driblet “bunker-buster” munitions connected 3 Iranian atomic sites, including Fordow.

A ceasefire was declared a fewer days later.

But questions person endured astir the efficacy of the US’s intervention. On Thursday, Hegseth and Caine sought to enactment those questions to remainder with a forceful presentation.

Standing successful beforehand of a poster with images of Iran’s Fordow facility, Caine gave reporters a walkthrough of the bombs utilized successful the attack, however the ngo was carried retired and who comprised the bomber crews.

He besides played a video of 1 of the bunker-busting bombs successful action.

“All six weapons astatine each vent astatine Fordow went precisely wherever they were intended to go,” Caine said.

He past offered a breakdown of what gave the US subject assurance astir the occurrence of its mission.

“Here’s what we cognize pursuing the attacks and the strikes connected Fordow,” helium said. “First, that the weapons were built, tested and loaded properly. Two: The weapons were released connected velocity and connected parameter. Three: The weapons were each guided to their intended people and intended purpose points. Four: The weapons functioned arsenic designed, meaning they exploded.”

Hegseth, meanwhile, mostly focused his comments connected the media’s response. A erstwhile Fox News host, helium criticised his chap journalists for “hunting for scandals each the time” and failing to admit “historic moments” nether President Trump.

When pressed by a newsman astir what had changed successful their knowing of the June 22 strike, Hegseth reiterated the Trump administration’s presumption that sites similar Fordow had been dealt a fatal blow.

“I could usage the connection obliterated. He could usage defeat, destroyed, assess, each of those things. But ultimately, we’re present to clarify what these weapons are susceptible of,” Hegseth said.

“Anyone with 2 eyes, immoderate ears and a encephalon tin recognise that benignant of firepower, with that specificity astatine that determination and others is going to person a devastating effect.”

Hegseth and Trump some denied connected Thursday that Iran could person moved its stockpile of enriched uranium earlier the US strikes.

“I’m not alert of immoderate quality that I’ve reviewed that says things were not wherever they were expected to beryllium — moved oregon otherwise,” Hegseth said.

Ambiguity remains

Still, determination person been conflicting reports astir conscionable however overmuch harm was sustained by Iran’s atomic programme.

The Financial Times connected Thursday published a study saying European governments had assessed that Iran’s uranium stockpile had been redistributed to sites extracurricular of Fordow earlier the attack.

In his archetypal nationalist comments since the warfare began, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei besides said connected Thursday that Trump overstated the results of the strikes.

“The American president exaggerated events successful antithetic ways,” Khamenei said, adding that the US “gained thing from this war”.

By his account, the US bombing run “did thing significant” to Iran’s atomic facilities.

While Thursday’s briefing with Hegseth and Caine offered details astir the weaponry utilized successful the June 22 attacks, analysts accidental it lacked grounds to warrant the Trump administration’s assertions.

“The presser connected US strikes connected Iran was an orchestrated narrative, precise overmuch focused connected the storytelling,” said Al Jazeera analogous Patty Culhane.

“I don’t deliberation we cognize the existent facts of the substance yet. They accidental they elaborate however galore bombs were dropped, however they went done ventilation shafts, but they didn’t stock immoderate existent grounds that the installation was, successful their words, obliterated.”