US President Donald Trump has doubled down on Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s claim that recent American airstrikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear weapons capability—even as preliminary US intelligence assessments suggest only temporary setbacks to Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump echoed Hegseth’s remarks on Truth Social, asserting that the US bombing campaign was highly effective. “Our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons… The impact is buried under a mountain of rubble,” Hegseth stated, a message that Trump reposted in full.
However, a CNN report, citing seven sources briefed on intelligence assessments, revealed a more nuanced picture. According to the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the strikes caused only limited and temporary disruption, setting Iran’s nuclear program back by just a few months.
The US targeted three major nuclear sites in Iran—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—with over a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs dropped by B-2 bombers. While the attacks reportedly inflicted heavy damage on surface-level infrastructure like power systems and uranium metal conversion facilities, Iran’s underground enrichment capabilities largely survived the assault.
According to CNN, Iran’s centrifuges remain mostly operational, and enriched uranium stockpiles were likely relocated before the strikes, reducing the effectiveness of the mission.
Israel, which launched its own strikes before the US intervention, also reportedly found less damage than expected at Fordow. Initial hopes that the joint attacks could delay Iran’s nuclear ambitions by up to two years are now being questioned.
The report also pointed to long-standing doubts within defense circles about the US’s ability to penetrate Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities using even its most powerful conventional weapons, such as the Massive Ordnance Penetrators.
Despite the intelligence findings, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have continued to present the mission as a strategic and operational success, downplaying evidence of Iran’s remaining nuclear infrastructure and reinforcing their narrative of a decisive blow to Tehran’s ambitions.