Early US intelligence assessments indicate that recent military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities failed to destroy key components of its program, contradicting claims by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s nuclear capacity was “completely obliterated.”

DIA Finds Limited Damage to Core Sites

According to a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) battle damage assessment, the US strikes—carried out by B-2 bombers using 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs—did not eliminate the centrifuges or Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Most of the damage was limited to aboveground structures, including power facilities and support buildings at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Despite these attacks, the core underground enrichment infrastructure remains largely intact. One official familiar with the assessment said, “The US set them back maybe a few months, tops.”

White House Disputes Assessment, Calls It a Leak

The White House pushed back aggressively, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissing the DIA findings as “flat-out wrong” and calling the leak “a clear attempt to demean President Trump.” Trump himself claimed the sites were “completely demolished,” insisting that “those targets were obliterated.”

Diverging Assessments from U.S. and Israel

While the US assessment is cautious, Israeli officials maintain that the combined strikes have set Iran’s program back by up to two years—provided Iran is not allowed to rebuild unimpeded. However, even before the U.S. involvement, Israel had claimed similar setbacks.

Weapons expert Jeffrey Lewis added that key underground facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Parchin remain operational. “These facilities could serve as the basis for the rapid reconstitution of Iran’s nuclear program,” he warned.

Fallout and Briefing Delays

Classified briefings to U.S. lawmakers were abruptly canceled or postponed, raising further questions about internal alignment within the U.S. government. Representative Pat Ryan accused Trump of avoiding accountability: “His team knows they can’t back up his bluster and BS.”

As debate continues, the US intelligence community is still gathering data, including from inside Iran, to refine its conclusions.