Trump teases new nuclear talks with Tehran, says ceasefire between Israel and Iran going 'very well'
President Donald Trump said Wednesday, June 25, that the fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran was going "very well" and teased new nuclear talks with Tehran, as leaked US intelligence cast doubt on the damage done to the Islamic Republic's atomic program. He also told reporters that Israel and Iran were "both tired, exhausted" after 12 days of war, going on to say that talks with Tehran were planned for "next week."
"We may sign an agreement. I don't know," he added. "I mean, they had a war, they fought, now they're going back to their world. I don't care if I have an agreement or not."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had said on Tuesday his country was willing to return to negotiations, but would continue to "assert its legitimate rights" to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Trump insisted that US strikes had resulted in the "total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear capabilities, setting the country's program back by "decades." "They're not going to be building bombs for a long time," said Trump, who added that the ceasefire since Tuesday was going "very well."
But US media had earlier cited people familiar with a preliminary US intelligence report as saying that weekend strikes did not fully eliminate Iran's centrifuges or stockpile of enriched uranium. The US bombardments sealed off entrances to some facilities without destroying underground buildings, setting Iran's nuclear program back by several months, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency report.
'A significant hit'
The Israeli military said it had delivered a blow to Iran's nuclear program, but added that it was "still early to assess the results of the operation."
"I believe we have delivered a significant hit to the nuclear program, and I can also say that we have delayed it by several years," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised press conference.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hailed a "historic victory" in the 12-day conflict and vowed to thwart "any attempt" by Iran to rebuild its nuclear program. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei branded NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's gushing note to Trump on the US strikes as "disgraceful, despicable and irresponsible."
While Iranian officials have yet to disclose the exact scale of the damage resulting from US and Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities, Baqaei told Al Jazeera English that they had been "badly damaged."
Israeli ground troops had operated secretly
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said Wednesday that commandos had operated secretly inside Iran, "deep within enemy territory and created operational freedom of action for us" during the war. He was the first Israeli official to say publicly that Israeli soldiers had operated on the ground in the Islamic Republic.
The head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, meanwhile, thanked the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for its help in "joint" operations during the war. He said the CIA "supported Mossad in making the right decisions," spy chief David Barnea said. The extent of the purported help provided by the CIA is unknown.
Iran will hold state funerals on Saturday for senior military commanders and top scientists killed during the war. Hossein Salami, the Revolutionary Guards chief killed by Israel on the war's first day on June 13, will be laid to rest in central Iran on Thursday.
According to the Iranian health ministry, Israeli strikes during the war killed at least 627 civilians. Iran's attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures.
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