U.S. Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Fall Short of Expected Success

The U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities failed to destroy the core components of Tehran’s atomic program and likely delayed its progress by only six months, according to an early U.S. intelligence assessment described by sources familiar with the matter on Tuesday.

The confidential report indicates that the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan sites did not sustain as much damage as some White House officials had hoped, and that the Islamic Republic still retains control of nearly all its nuclear material—meaning it could still produce a nuclear weapon relatively quickly if it chose to do so.

Additionally, the assessment reveals that much of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles were relocated before the strikes, which destroyed only a small portion of the nuclear material. The key components may have been moved to secret nuclear facilities, the report warns. One source even disclosed that centrifuges remain largely intact.

Damage was primarily limited to surface-level structures, which suffered severe impairments, according to the sources. This includes electrical infrastructure at the sites and some facilities used to convert uranium into metal for alleged bomb production.

Initial Israeli assessments of the destruction have also cast doubt on the strikes’ effectiveness. Defense officials in Israel claimed to have gathered evidence that Fordo’s underground facilities were not destroyed.

These preliminary findings contradict initial statements from former President Donald Trump, who asserted that the facilities were "completely obliterated." Meanwhile, the Pentagon maintained that the military operation proceeded as planned and was an "overwhelming success."

Prior to the attack, the U.S. military had presented a range of estimates on how much Iran’s nuclear program could be delayed by the strikes—ranging from a few months to several years.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the leaked report, calling it "completely inaccurate" in a post on X.

"This so-called ‘assessment’ is entirely wrong and was classified as ‘confidential,’ yet it was still leaked to CNN by an unknown, low-level individual in the intelligence community," she wrote.

"The leak of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to smear President Trump and discredit the brave combat pilots who carried out a flawless mission to annihilate Iran’s nuclear program," Leavitt continued. "We all know what happens when fourteen 30,000-pound bombs are dropped on their targets: total annihilation," she concluded.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, condemned the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and asserted that Tehran had made prior arrangements to restore their operations.