Trump insists Iran’s nuclear sites were 'completely destroyed' despite leaked US intelligence doubts: BBC

New Delhi, Jun 25: US President Donald Trump has doubled down on claims that recent American airstrikes on Iran “completely destroyed” its nuclear sites, despite a leaked Pentagon intelligence assessment suggesting otherwise, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump lashed out at media coverage of the strike’s aftermath. “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. THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!” he wrote.

The Pentagon’s preliminary assessment, leaked to CBS News and cited by the BBC, paints a far more restrained picture of the operation’s impact. Sources familiar with the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) evaluation say the strikes likely set Iran’s nuclear programme back by only “a few months, tops”. Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was reportedly not eliminated, and its key centrifuge infrastructure remains largely intact.

The US targeted three major nuclear sites, Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan using bunker-busting bombs designed to penetrate deep underground fortifications. However, the BBC, CNN and other media reports that, according to officials, much of the damage was limited to aboveground structures. Entrances to two facilities were reportedly sealed, and some infrastructure was damaged, but the underground enrichment chambers appear to have survived.

Speaking onboard Air Force One, Trump insisted all targets were “hit perfectly” and called reports questioning the strike’s effectiveness “very disrespectful” to the US military. The White House, reacting to the leaked intelligence, dismissed the assessment as “flat-out wrong,” and blamed the leak on a “low-level loser in the intelligence community,” reports BBC.

Iranian officials have already stated that their nuclear programme will continue, even as the region enters a fragile ceasefire following 12 days of hostilities between Israel and Iran. The IAEA said its inspectors remained in Iran during the conflict and were prepared to resume their work verifying enriched uranium inventories, including over 400kg enriched to 60% purity, a level just below weapons grade.