Uncertainty Mounts Over Iran Nuclear Strike Damage as US Officials Offer Shifting Accounts

One week after President Donald Trump ordered a U.S. attack on three Iranian nuclear sites on June 21, 2025, a clear picture of the extent of the damage remains elusive. Initial claims by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s nuclear program had been “obliterated” have been met with evolving and often conflicting assessments from within the administration and intelligence community.

Early intelligence reports, including a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment, suggested that the strikes might have set back Iran’s nuclear program by only months, with much of the damage confined to above-ground structures. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that “very significant, substantial damage was done,” he stopped short of claiming obliteration, noting the difficulty in assessing the deeply buried Fordo facility.

Adding to the confusion, officials, including Trump himself, have offered differing views on whether Iran’s enriched uranium was moved prior to the attacks, with the UN’s nuclear oversight agency suggesting some material might have been relocated. The narrative also appears to be shifting, with Hegseth and Trump later emphasizing that the attack’s primary success was achieving a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, rather than the complete destruction of nuclear capabilities.

Lawmakers, briefed on the strikes, have also indicated that eliminating Iran’s cache of enriched uranium may not have been the mission’s objective. The ongoing discrepancies underscore lingering questions about the true impact of the strikes and the administration’s stated goals.

阅读中文版 (Read Chinese Version)

Disclaimer: This content is aggregated from public sources online. Please verify information independently. If you believe your rights have been infringed, contact us for removal.