US to offer new defense of strikes on Iran nuclear sites
Washington – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to hold a news conference on Thursday to offer a fresh assessment of strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, following a stinging row over how much American bombardment set back Tehran's nuclear program.
After waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites and retaliatory missile fire from Iran since June 13, the United States bombed three key Iranian atomic facilities at the weekend.
The extent of the damage in Iran, where Israel said it had acted to stop an imminent nuclear threat, has become the subject of profound disagreement in the United States.
An initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN, was said to have concluded that the strike did not destroy key components and that Iran's nuclear program was set back only months at most.
Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400 kilogram (880 pounds) of enriched uranium — which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country.
The US administration has hit back furiously, with Trump repeatedly saying the attack 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear facilities, including the key site of Fordo buried inside a mountain.
'I can tell you, the United States had no indication that that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strikes, as I also saw falsely reported,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
'As for what's on the ground right now, it's buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday evening,' she said.
Trump said that Hegseth, whom he dubbed 'war' secretary, would hold a news conference at 8 am (1200 GMT) on Thursday to 'fight for the dignity of our great American pilots'.
CIA chief John Ratcliffe said in a statement on Wednesday that 'several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years'.
The Israeli military said it had delivered a 'significant' blow to Iran's nuclear sites but that it was 'still early' to fully assess the damage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that 'we have thwarted Iran's nuclear project'.
'And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt,' he said.
– Nuclear talks? –
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told Al Jazeera that 'nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure'.
After the war derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, Trump said Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff expressing hope 'for a comprehensive peace agreement'.
Trump told reporters that Israel and Iran were 'both tired, exhausted', before going on to say that talks were planned with Iran next week.
'We may sign an agreement. I don't know,' he added.
Iran has systematically denied seeking a nuclear weapon while defending its 'legitimate rights' to the peaceful use of atomic energy.
It has also said it was willing to return to nuclear negotiations with Washington.
In both Iran and Israel, authorities have gradually lifted wartime restrictions.
Iran on Wednesday reopened the airspace over the country's east, without allowing yet flights to and from the capital Tehran.
In the Israeli coastal hub of Tel Aviv, 45-year-old engineer Yossi Bin welcomed the ceasefire: 'Finally, we can sleep peacefully. We feel better, less worried… and I hope it stays that way.'
– State funeral –
While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, their 12-day conflict was by far the most destructive confrontation between them.
The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran's health ministry said.
Iran's attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to official figures.
According to Mehr news agency, the funeral of Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami, who was killed in an Israeli strike, will no longer be held in his hometown on Thursday.
Instead, a state funeral will be held on Saturday in Tehran for top commanders including Salami and nuclear scientists killed in the war.
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