President Trump and his administration have pushed back, hard, against reports that Iran's nuclear program has not, in fact, been "obliterated" in recent strikes. But now, the administration is touting "new intelligence" supporting Trump's claim that the strikes set the nuclear program back years, not months, CBS News reports. CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard both made the claims, Politico reports.
- Ratcliffe: "A body of credible intelligence indicates Iran's Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes," he said in a statement. "This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years."
- Gabbard: "New intelligence confirms what President Trump has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed," she posted on X. "If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do."
Asked for further details, spokespeople declined to reveal the confidence level associated with the new intelligence or to give any specifics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was expected to give more information at a press briefing Thursday morning,
Axios reports. Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether any of Iran's enriched uranium was moved away from the sites before the strikes, as the leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment indicated was likely—a claim Trump also pushed back on. The president says the US and Iran will hold talks next week.
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