A classified US intelligence report has found that recent American airstrikes on Iran caused only limited delays to the country’s nuclear program, rather than wiping it out as President Donald Trump had claimed. According to sources familiar with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s findings, the strikes impacted Iran’s operations but failed to destroy centrifuges or eliminate its stockpile of enriched uranium.
The report states that while the entrances to some nuclear sites were sealed, underground facilities remained mostly intact. US B-2 bombers dropped large GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs on two locations, while Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from a submarine at a third site.
Trump described the mission as a “spectacular military success,” asserting that it had completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities. His Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, supported this view, calling the outcome devastating for Iran. However, the US military’s top officer, General Dan Caine, offered a more measured assessment, acknowledging “extremely severe damage” but not total destruction.
White House Press Secretary Karline Leavitt confirmed the intelligence report’s existence but criticized its leak and disputed its findings, insisting the attack was flawlessly executed.
On the Iranian side, officials said plans were already to restart affected operations. The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, said measures had been taken to avoid disruptions. An adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei added that enriched uranium remains available and warned, “the game is not over.”
Israel had earlier launched a broad air campaign on June 13, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and personnel to slow Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Before the strikes, Trump sought a new diplomatic agreement to replace the 2015 nuclear deal he had previously withdrawn from, but he ultimately chose a military option.
The US mission involved over 125 aircraft, including stealth bombers, fighter jets, aerial refuelers, reconnaissance planes, and a guided missile submarine. Despite the scale of the operation, the newly leaked report suggests Iran’s nuclear program remains damaged but far from destroyed.