Using an assessment by the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) as support, US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his assertion that American soldiers “obliterated” Iranian nuclear targets during targeted attacks on June 22, 2025.
The IAEC’s assessment of Iran’s Fordow nuclear plant was used by Trump in a Truth Social post, which claimed that US attacks had “destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable.”
He highlighted Israel’s claim that the nuclear installations were “obliterated” and publicly hailed the pilots of US B-2 bombers.
In a statement issued through the IAEC, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office claimed that the US strikes and Israeli attacks on related aspects of Iran’s nuclear program had delayed Tehran’s nuclear weapons development by “many years.”
According to the IAEC, the Fordow strike was catastrophic, destroying vital infrastructure and rendering the enrichment plant inoperable. According to the panel, denying Iran access to nuclear material might result in an ongoing setback.
There is a lot of disagreement over the strikes’ true effects in spite of these official declarations. According to a CNN investigation that quoted seven people informed on confidential assessments, the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) determined that the assaults only temporarily disrupted Iran’s nuclear program, perhaps delaying it by a few months rather than years.
This evaluation suggests that Iran’s centrifuges were still mostly in operation and that enriched uranium stores had probably been relocated prior to the attacks. According to reports, the US Central Command’s estimate of combat damage runs counter to the Trump administration’s public assertions of “complete obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
However, the White House has reacted negatively to the DIA assessment that was released, calling it inaccurate and implying that it was done so in order to discredit President Trump and the military mission. Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, maintained that the strikes caused “total destruction,” pointing to the targets’ exposure to fourteen 30,000-pound bombs.
The story was further complicated when CIA Director John Ratcliffe declared that reliable evidence suggested the attacks had “significantly impaired” Iran’s nuclear program, stating that many vital sites had been destroyed and would require years to restore.
However, former intelligence officials and weapons control specialists have warned that, even in the absence of the three targeted facilities, Iran would be able to regain its nuclear capabilities if it managed to save enough enriched uranium and sophisticated centrifuges.
A divisive topic in Washington is the political and intelligence disagreement regarding the actual scope of the harm. Several US intelligence assessments indicate the impact may be much less substantial, amounting to a temporary setback rather than a crippling blow, despite the Trump administration and Israeli leaders’ insistence that the attacks dealt Iran a serious and enduring blow to its nuclear ambitions.
Israel conducted “Operation Rising Lion,” a massive attack against Iranian military and nuclear installations, on June 13, 2025, sparking the start of the armed conflict between Iran and Israel. In response, Iran launched “Operation True Promise 3,” which involved attacking Israeli infrastructure with drones and missiles.Although US intelligence assessments and independent reporting suggest the damage may be limited to a short-term disruption, with Iran’s core nuclear capabilities largely intact, President Trump and Israeli authorities assert that the US strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites and set back its nuclear weapons program by years.
