On June 21, 2025, the Trump administration announced a series of airstrikes on three major Iranian nuclear facilities, with President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declaring the mission a total success.
According to their statements, the strikes had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump insisted the attacks set back Iran’s nuclear program by decades, calling it “one of the most successful military strikes in history”.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Pete Hegseth just RIPPED APART fake news CNN and NYT for pushing an agenda about Iran
“Then the instinct of CNN and New York Times is to try to find a way to spin it for their own political reasons to try to hurt President Trump and our country. They don’t care… pic.twitter.com/1PnONBstjx
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 25, 2025
Classified Intelligence Assessment Paints a Different Picture
However, a leaked classified assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) sharply contradicts these claims. According to multiple sources familiar with the report, the US strikes did not destroy Iran’s core nuclear assets. The DIA’s early analysis found that:
The strikes caused significant damage to above-ground infrastructure but failed to demolish the heavily fortified underground facilities where Iran’s most sensitive nuclear work is carried out.
Entrances to two sites were sealed, but the core underground structures remained intact.
Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, as some of it had been moved before the strikes.
The country’s centrifuges, essential for uranium enrichment, were largely undamaged.
One source summarized the assessment: “The US set them back maybe a few months, tops.” The timeline for Iran to rebuild its nuclear capabilities was extended by less than six months, not decades as claimed by the administration.
White House Pushes Back Against the Leaks
The White House has strongly disputed the leaked assessment. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the report “flat-out wrong” and accused the leaker of trying to undermine President Trump and the military. She insisted that the strikes were “perfectly executed” and resulted in “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear program.
President Trump, speaking from the NATO summit in The Hague, doubled down on his original claims, dismissing the intelligence findings as “fake news” and reiterating that Iran’s nuclear sites were “completely destroyed”.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also defended the administration’s position, stating that the assessment was preliminary and “low confidence.” He suggested political motives were behind the leak and confirmed an FBI investigation was underway to identify the source.
What Was Actually Destroyed?
According to the DIA and other intelligence sources, the main impact of the strikes was on above-ground infrastructure at the targeted sites. While the entrances to some facilities were blocked, the underground components—where Iran’s most advanced nuclear work takes place—remained largely untouched.
Some of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile was moved to undisclosed locations before the attacks, minimizing the loss of nuclear material.
Strategic Implications: Delay, Not Destruction
Some US officials and lawmakers have acknowledged that the strikes were never expected to completely destroy Iran’s nuclear program.
Representative Michael McCaul, chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated, “It was never meant to completely destroy the nuclear facilities, but rather cause significant damage… it was always known to be a temporary setback”.
Ongoing Assessment and Unanswered Questions
Intelligence officials caution that the full impact of the strikes will take more time to assess, as more information is gathered from within Iran and further battle damage assessments are completed.
Meanwhile, the leak has fueled political controversy in Washington, raising questions about the administration’s transparency and the effectiveness of military action as a tool for nuclear nonproliferation.
While the Trump administration continues to tout the strikes as a historic success, the leaked Pentagon assessment suggests the operation achieved only a temporary delay in Iran’s nuclear ambitions, not their destruction.
