Blow or Bluff? US Intelligence Challenges Trump’s Claim Of Destroying Iran’s Nuclear Program

A classified assessment by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has concluded that recent American military strikes on Iran only temporarily disrupted Tehran’s nuclear program—undermining former President Donald Trump’s assertion that the facilities were “completely destroyed.”

According to U.S. media reports on Tuesday, the DIA’s preliminary findings reveal that while the strikes caused damage to several sites, they failed to eliminate Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium or fully dismantle its centrifuge operations. Instead, the report states, the bombings primarily sealed off entrances to heavily fortified underground facilities—leaving the core infrastructure intact.

President Trump has fiercely rejected the DIA’s conclusions, blasting news outlets like CNN and The New York Times for allegedly trying to undermine the operation. “THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the DIA report’s authenticity but dismissed its conclusions as “flat-out wrong.” She hinted that the leak of the top-secret intelligence was politically motivated, intended to discredit Trump’s military leadership. “Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, echoed the administration’s claims in a Fox News interview. He insisted that Iran’s key nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo were "effectively obliterated," asserting that “most, if not all, of the centrifuges were destroyed.” Witkoff maintained that Iran would need years to rebuild its nuclear capabilities.

The weekend assault involved U.S. B-2 stealth bombers dropping GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs, as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a guided missile submarine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hailed the strike as a “devastating blow” to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

However, General Dan Caine, the top-ranking U.S. military officer, offered a more cautious assessment. He confirmed that the strikes caused “extremely severe damage,” but acknowledged that Iran still possesses the capability to eventually resume its nuclear program.

On Tuesday, Iran responded by activating contingency plans. Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, announced on state TV that “production and services are not disrupted,” and that systems were already in place to restart operations.

An adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reinforced Iran’s defiance, stating that the country still holds enriched uranium and warning, “The game is not over.”

The U.S. strikes came just days after an Israeli air campaign on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear sites, top scientists, and military officials, all in an effort to slow down Iran’s nuclear development.

Trump, who famously withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran during his first term, reportedly spent weeks pursuing a new diplomatic solution before opting for force.

According to the Pentagon, the operation was one of the most extensive in recent U.S. military history, involving over 125 aircraft—including stealth bombers, aerial refueling tankers, surveillance drones, and missile-launching submarines.