Top U.S. defense officials have stated that Iran’s nuclear facilities were completely destroyed in recent military airstrikes, challenging earlier intelligence suggesting only minimal damage.
During a Pentagon press conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine addressed leaked information indicating that the June 22 strikes had only temporarily disrupted Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Read more: Trump Teases Possible Iran Deal After U.S. Strikes Hit Nuclear Sites
Contradicting that initial assessment, the officials declared that the strikes had successfully wiped out critical nuclear infrastructure, echoing earlier remarks by President Donald Trump.
“This was the most complex and covert military mission in modern history, authorized by the president,” said Hegseth. He added that the operation not only led to a ceasefire, ending 12 days of conflict, but also effectively dismantled Iran’s nuclear assets. “Call it destroyed, eliminated — those sites are gone,” he asserted.
These claims, however, conflict with an earlier evaluation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), which described the impact as limited and suggested that Iran might be able to rebuild the damaged infrastructure within months.
With little time passed since the attack, the true scale of the destruction remains uncertain.
President Trump described the operation as delivering “devastating” results and warned critics against questioning its success, calling such doubts disrespectful to the mission’s pilots.
As Hegseth and Caine spoke, Trump took to Truth Social, urging supporters to tune into what he labeled “the most conclusive and professional” press briefing he had ever seen.
He also accused major news outlets like CNN and The New York Times of spreading “FAKE” stories and predicted that reporters responsible would be dismissed — though no evidence supports this claim.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe later added that newly acquired intelligence suggests Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has suffered extensive damage, with reconstruction potentially taking years.
