US airstrikes failed to fully destroy Iran's nuclear sites, intelligence report claims; White House responds
US airstrikes failed to fully destroy Iran's nuclear sites, intelligence report claims This handout satellite photo obtained from Planet Labs PBC and dated May 20, 2025, shows a view of the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in central Iran.(AFP)
The military strikes by the United States on three Iranian facilities earlier this week did not fully destroy them and likely set the Middle Eastern country's nuclear program back by months, an early assessment report by US intelligence said.
The assessment, first reported by CNN, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's intelligence arm.
The United States over the weekend attacked three nuclear facilities – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – in Iran that Israel and the United States say were being used to build an atomic bomb in secret.
US President Donald Trump had claimed that the strikes 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had also said on Sunday that Iran's nuclear ambitions 'have been obliterated.'
Two of the people familiar with the assessment of the strikes, however, told CNN that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One of the people said the centrifuges are largely 'intact.'
'So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,' the person said.
The assessment also found that at least some of Iran's highly enriched uranium was moved out of multiple sites before the US strikes and survived, reported Reuters. White House says assessment 'flat-out wrong'
The White House strongly responded to reports of the assessment, calling it 'flat-out wrong.'
'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.
'Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
10 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Drone debris found in Ukraine indicates Russia using new tech from Iran
Last week, Ukrainian drone hunters picking up the debris from Russia's nightly assault on their cities found a weapon that stood out from the rest. It had an advanced camera, a computing platform powered by artificial intelligence and a radio link, allowing an operator to pilot it remotely from Russia. It also contained new, Iranian-made, anti-jamming technology, according to a Ukrainian drone expert. Most Russian attack drones are black, said Serhii Beskrestnov, an electronics expert more widely known as Flash. The new one, he told The Associated Press, was white. Inside, there were no markings or labels consistent with Russian-made drones. Instead, the stickers followed a standard Iran labelling system, Beskrestnov said. Experts who spoke to AP said the labels are not conclusive proof but the English-language words are consistent with how Iran marks its drones. It is quite possible, they said, that it was sold by Iran to Russia to test in combat. Moscow has pummelled Ukraine almost nightly with Iranian-designed drones throughout the course of the war, now in its fourth year. They swarm above Ukrainian cities, their moped-like sound filling the air, as air defences and sharpshooters take aim. While some carry warheads, many are decoys. Russia is improving its drone technology and tactics, striking Ukraine with increasing success. But the UK's Defence Ministry said Israel's strikes on Iran will likely negatively impact the future provision of Iranian military equipment to Russia," since Tehran had supplied significant quantities of attack drones to Moscow. Israeli attacks on Iran Israel's military would not comment on what it struck. Although it has carried out sweeping attacks across Iranian military facilities and the US bombed nuclear sites, the impact on Iran's drone industry is not yet clear. The anti-jammer in the latest drone discovered in Ukraine contained new Iranian technology, suggested Beskrestnov. Other components in Russia's drones often come from Russia, China and the West. Although Russia's drones are based on an Iranian design, the majority are now made in Russia. And because much of the technology to make them, including the Iranian software and technical expertise, has already been transferred to Russia, the immediate impact on Moscow's drone program could be limited, experts said. However, if Israel struck facilities producing drones and components such as engines and anti-jamming units which are shipped to Russia, then Moscow could face supply shortages, experts suggested. A secretive Russian factory Moscow makes its Shahed meaning witness in Farsi drones based on an Iranian model in a highly secure factory in central Russia. The Alabuga plant in the Tatarstan region took delivery of its first Iranian drones in 2022 after Russia and Iran signed a USD 1.7 billion deal. It later established its own production lines, churning out thousands of them. The upgrades identified from debris in Ukraine are the latest in a series of innovations that began with Russia buying drones directly from Iran in the fall of 2022, according to leaked documents from Alabuga previously reported on by AP. In early 2023, Iran shipped about 600 disassembled drones to be reassembled in Russia before production was localized. In 2024, the design was adapted. Specialists added cameras to some drones and implemented a plan, revealed in an AP investigation, dubbed Operation False Target creating decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Alabuga also modified the Shahed to make it more lethal, creating a thermobaric drone which sucks out all the oxygen in its path potentially collapsing lungs, crushing eyeballs and causing brain damage. The size of the warhead was also upgraded. Jet-propelled drones and AI In at least one case, Iran shipped a jet-powered Shahed that Russia experimented with in Ukraine, said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Russian and Iranian drones at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Ukraine's air force found two more examples of jet-powered Shaheds in May but it appears they have not been widely adopted. That's possibly because the Iranian design uses a very sophisticated jet engine that also powers Iran's cruise missiles, Hinz said. That likely makes it too expensive to use nightly in Ukraine, he said, even if the engine is swapped to a cheaper Chinese model. The electronics in the drone most recently found in Ukraine are also very expensive, Beskrestnov said, pointing to its AI computing platform, camera and radio link. It's unclear why it was deployed but Beskrestnov suggested it could be used to target critical infrastructure, including electrical transmission towers. Previous versions of the Shahed drone could not hit a moving object or change their flight path once launched. They sometimes ended up travelling in circles all through Ukraine before they finally hit a target, which made them easier to shoot down, said David Albright of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. The radio link means an operator can communicate with the drone from Russia, introduce a new target and potentially control many drones at the same time, the experts said. The remotely operable Shahed has similarities to drones Russia is already using on the front lines and is particularly resistant to jamming, Beskrestnov said. There are eight, rather than four, antennas on the drone which means it is harder for Ukraine to overwhelm it with electronic warfare, he said. The new drone has markings that suggest the anti-jamming unit was made in Iran within the past year and similarities to Iranian components found in older models of the Shahed, said Beskrestnov. Such advanced antennas, said Hinz, have not previously been seen on drones used in Ukraine but have been found on Iranian missiles destined for Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. In a statement, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence told AP in the past four months it had found drones with eight and 12 antennas made in China and Russia. Despite sanctions, both Russia and Iran have continued to find ways to procure Western technology. The drone's AI computing platform can help it autonomously navigate if communications are jammed. Similar technology was used by Ukraine to attack aircraft deep inside Russia during Operation Spiderweb, when it used drones to target Russian air bases hosting nuclear-capable strategic bombers. Changing tactics Russia is improving its technology at the same time as it is also changing its tactics. Moscow is flying the Shahed drones at high altitudes where they are out of reach of Ukrainian shooters, as well as lower down to avoid radio detection. It is also carrying out massive group attacks on cities including where drones sometimes dive-bomb a target, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said. The drones can be used to clear a path for cruise missiles or to exhaust Ukrainian air defences by sending a wave of decoys followed by one or two with a warhead. The tactics appear to be working. AP collected almost a year's worth of Russian drone strike data on Ukraine posted online by the Ukrainian air force. An analysis shows that Russia significantly ramped up its attacks after US President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January. And Russian hits have increased markedly since March shortly before reports emerged that Russia was using Shahed drones with advanced jammers. In November 2022, only around 6 per cent of drones hit a discernible target but, by June, that reached about 16 per cent. On some nights, almost 50 per cent of drones got through Ukraine's air defences. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said the Shaheds' effectiveness is likely because Russia is firing more drones, including decoys, as well as the change in technology and tactics. But although Russia appears to have had increasing success striking Ukraine, it is not clear if that will continue. Israel's strikes on Iran will certainly hurt Russia long-term, Albright said. Moscow, he said, is not going to be able to get as much assistance from Iran as it has been.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
11 minutes ago
- Business Standard
LIVE news updates: Donald Trump set to meet Nato allies amid doubts over US defence commitment
Trump's comment en route to the Netherlands, suggesting that his adherence to Article 5 "depends on your definition," is expected to draw significant attention during the Nato summit. Also in focus will be the fragile Iran-Israel ceasefire, which Trump played a role in brokering following US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. At the same time, Nato is preparing to adopt one of Trump's key demands: a commitment from member nations to increase—sometimes substantially—their defence spending. New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani has emerged as the leading candidate in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, with over 90 per cent of votes counted. On Tuesday night, former Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded, acknowledging Mamdani's lead, although the final outcome awaits completion of the ranked-choice voting tally. If the current lead holds, 33-year-old Mamdani would become New York City's first Muslim and Indian-American mayor. He currently commands 43.5 per cent of the vote, while Cuomo stands at 36.3 per cent. The Axiom-4 mission signifies the return to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, each undertaking its first government-sponsored crewed mission in more than 40 years. While Ax-4 marks only the second human spaceflight in each country's history, it will be the first time any of them participate in a mission aboard the International Space Station.
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Israeli Military Says Off-Duty Soldier Was Among Four Killed In Iranian Missile Attack In Beersheba
Tensions flared again just hours after a fragile Iran–Israel ceasefire was declared. The Israeli military reported intercepting two Iranian drones and multiple ballistic missiles allegedly launched Tuesday morning. Sirens wailed across northern Israel, and alerts were activated in open areas per military protocol. The attacks coincided with the tragic death of Cpl. Eitan Zacks, an 18-year-old off-duty IDF soldier killed at home in Beersheba along with two family members. A fourth civilian was also reported dead. Iran denied launching missiles, even as Israel claimed direct violations of the ceasefire. Military officials say the drones and missiles were likely launched from Iranian territory. The ceasefire appears increasingly tenuous amid renewed hostilities and deepening distrust.#MiddleEastCrisis #IranIsrael #ceasefire #MissileAttack #DroneStrike #IDF #IranMilitary Read More
