CIA Chief Says Iran Nuke Sites Severely Damaged After Minimal Impact Report
CIA Director John Ratcliffe claimed on Wednesday that new intelligence indicates Iran's nuclear infrastructure suffered severe and long-term damage following recent US airstrikes, contradicting reports suggesting the impact had been limited. Mr Ratcliffe said the agency had obtained credible intelligence, confirming that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years."
"CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran's Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes. This includes new intelligence from an historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years," he said.
"CIA continues to collect additional reliably sourced information to keep appropriate decision-makers and oversight bodies fully informed. When possible, we will also provide updates and information to the American public, given the national importance of this matter and in every attempt to provide transparency," Mr Ratcliffe added.
US President Donald Trump, speaking at the NATO summit in the Netherlands, dismissed earlier reports by American intelligence services that downplayed the extent of damage inflicted on Iran's nuclear program. The president insisted the Pentagon's own classified assessments lacked key information and defended his own conclusion that the strikes were devastating.
"This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop," Trump told reporters, reinforcing his claim that Iranian facilities had been "completely and fully obliterated."
Trump announced that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth would host a press conference on Thursday to provide "irrefutable proof" of the operation's effectiveness. He suggested the move was meant to support American military personnel, particularly the bomber crews involved in the mission, who he said were angered by "Fake News" coverage of the strikes' alleged limited impact.
NATO Diplomacy
While attending NATO's annual summit, which was otherwise focused on European defence, Trump said allied nations, including Israel, supported his account. An Israeli statement cited a significant delay to Iran's nuclear timeline, estimating setbacks by "many years." Iran's foreign ministry also admitted to "significant damage" but did not confirm total destruction.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered in an interview with Politico, said that Iran was now "much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action."
One major concern remains the fate of approximately 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, enough to potentially develop a nuclear weapon if further processed. Reports from US and international agencies suggest Iran may have moved the stockpile before the attacks, although American officials insist there is no concrete evidence to support that.
"I believe they didn't have a chance to get anything out, because we acted fast. It's very hard to move that kind of material, and very dangerous," President Trump said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News the uranium, if not destroyed, is "buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday evening."
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told France 2 television that the agency lost monitoring access to Iran's nuclear material when hostilities began.
The Consequences
The US military confirmed it deployed 14 GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs, each weighing over 13,600 kilograms, on three of Iran's known nuclear sites. One of the targeted locations was the Fordow enrichment facility, deeply buried inside a mountain and known to house advanced centrifuges.
According to a joint statement by the White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, the bombing "rendered the enrichment facility inoperable." The Israel Atomic Energy Commission said the combined US-Israeli operation had "set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed to Al Jazeera that "our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure."
Trending News