Leaked report downplays Donald Trump's Iran nuclear site 'obliteration' claims

A new US intelligence report has found that Iran's nuclear programme has been set back only a few months after a US strike and was not "completely and fully obliterated" as Donald Trump claimed, according to two people familiar with the early assessment.

The early intelligence report issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday contradicts statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran's nuclear facilities. The people were not authorised to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. According to the people, the report found that while the Saturday strikes at the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites did significant damage, they were not totally destroyed. The White House strongly pushed back on the assessment, calling it "flat-out wrong."

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"The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear program," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She added: "Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration."

The CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the DIA assessment. ODNI coordinates the work of the nation's 18 intelligence agencies, including the DIA, which is the intelligence arm of the Defense Department, responsible for producing intelligence on foreign militaries and the capabilities of adversaries.
The intelligence assessment was first reported by CNN on Tuesday.

At the weekend, Trump announced the US had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to destroy the country's nuclear programme. In a speech from the White House, he said: "Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.

"Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." Iran condemned the strikes, warning they would have long-term repercussions for the region and the global order.

The country's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said diplomacy was no longer an opetion an option after the US attack and stressed that Iran "reserves all rights to defend its security, its interests and its people." On Monday, Iran attacked the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar - and after that, Trump said both Iran and Israel would need to immediately implement a ceasefire.

After expressing deep frustration with both sides for violating the agreement he brokered, Trump claimed the ceasefire was "in effect" on Tuesday. Israel earlier accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the truce was supposed to take effect. The Iranian military denied firing on Israel, state media reported.

Trump expressed anger and frustration as he told reporters at the White House that both Israel, a close ally, and Iran had violated the ceasefire plan. But later he said the deal was saved, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later said he held off on a tougher strike against Iran after speaking to Trump.