Trump insists Iran nuclear sites destroyed amid reports some survived
On his Truth Social platform, Trump reiterated his frequent claim that 'all three nuclear sites in Iran were completely destroyed and/or OBLITERATED.'
He said it would 'take years to bring them back into service and, if Iran wanted to do so, they would be much better off starting anew, in three different locations.'
US bomb and missile attacks struck Iran's controversial nuclear program on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz.
The bombings, carried out at the same time as an Israeli campaign against Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure, were billed by Washington as a knockout blow to a years-long covert effort to build nuclear weapons.
Iran insists it has not tried to weaponize its civilian nuclear power program.
Despite Trump's claims of total success, several US media outlets have reported leaked intelligence suggesting a hazier picture.
The latest to cast doubt was an NBC News report Friday, quoting a military damage assessment that only one of the three sites was mostly destroyed.
Two other sites were deemed to be repairable and potentially able to resume uranium enrichment activities within 'the next several months,' NBC reported, citing five current and former US officials aware of the assessment. NBC also reported that the Pentagon had prepared an option to inflict far greater damage on Iran's facilities through a bombing campaign that would have lasted several weeks — not the one-night operation chosen by Trump.
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Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin
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In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window. — Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) July 27, 2025 "Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said on X. Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 waiting for aid trucks on Sunday. Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Also Read: UNRWA belittles Gaza aid airdrops proposal The ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133 including 87 children. 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The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly the entire population.
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
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UN aid chief welcomes ‘humanitarian pauses' in Gaza
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Express Tribune
6 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Trump accuses Kamala Harris of paying Beyoncé and Oprah for illegal campaign endorsements
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