Trump tells Congress that Iran had nuclear weapons program, contradicting US spy agencies
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters onboard Air Force One en route to the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump told Congress this week that the Iranian sites bombed by the U.S. housed a "nuclear weapons development program," even though U.S. spy agencies have said no such program existed.
Trump's claim raised questions whether U.S. intelligence backed up his decision to order the strikes on Iran on Sunday.
The Republican president made the assertion in a letter dated Monday to House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a key ally, and it was posted on the White House's website.
"United States forces conducted a precision strike against three nuclear facilities in Iran used by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its nuclear weapons development program," Trump wrote.
The most recent U.S. assessment, presented to Congress in March by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, said Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had not ordered the restarting of a nuclear-weapons effort shuttered in 2003.
A source with access to U.S. intelligence reports told Reuters last week that the March assessment had not changed.
Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful uses.
President George Bush justified the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by saying intelligence showed the country had weapons of mass destruction. This was later discredited and prompted a political backlash.
Trump first cast doubt on intelligence about Iran's nuclear program last week, when he repudiated the assessment that Gabbard delivered to Congress.
"I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having one," Trump told reporters, referring to a nuclear weapon.
Gabbard herself on Friday disputed media accounts of her March testimony, saying on X that U.S. intelligence showed Iran could make a nuclear weapon "in weeks to months" if it chose.
According to unclassified U.S. intelligence reports compiled before the strikes, Iran closed a nuclear weapons program in 2003 - a conclusion shared by the U.N. nuclear watchdog - and has not mastered all of the technologies required. But Tehran does have the expertise to build a warhead at some point, according to the reports.
The U.S. attacked three Iranian nuclear sites -- Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow -- on Sunday. It hit deeply buried Fordow,
where advanced centrifuges could produce low-enriched uranium for nuclear reactor fuel and highly enriched uranium for warheads, with "bunker busting" bombs.
Trump and other top officials said the sites were obliterated. But a preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment found the attack set back Tehran's program by only months, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
A U.S. official who read the assessment said it contained a number of caveats and a more refined report was expected in the coming days and weeks.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Don Durfee and Cynthia Osterman)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
22 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Taiwan to roll out new air-raid guidance, drawing lessons from Ukraine and Israel
TAIPEI, June 25 — Taiwan will issue new air-raid guidance for its citizens next week, according to security officials and internal planning documents reviewed by Reuters, learning lessons from Ukraine and Israel in case it needs to counter a Chinese military attack. 'Taiwan is looking very closely into the cases from Ukraine and Israel,' a senior Taiwan security official briefed on the matter told Reuters. 'Our people must know how to protect themselves, either at home or in office,' said the official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. Authorities will update instructions on what people should do when air-raid alerts are issued, including for citizens who are not able to get into shelters in time or for those who are driving a car, according to the government planning documents. That includes instructions on hiding behind 'at least two layers of walls' and 'staying in the down position while opening your mouth slightly' in the scenario when people could not immediately get to an air-raid shelter. 'In metropolitan Taiwan, the reality is that many residents of high-rise buildings may not be able to get to the designated air-raid shelters quickly within three minutes,' a second security official said, adding the government is working to get citizens to learn 'alternative' ways to protect themselves. Civil defence drills including rehearsals on setting up emergency supply stations will be held across the island alongside Taiwan's main annual 'Han Kuang' military exercises in July, which will last for an unprecedented 10 days, the two officials said. Taiwan has been preparing air-raid shelters across the island, including in subway stations and shopping malls, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine raised new fears about a Chinese invasion. The capital of Taipei alone has more than 4,600 such shelters that can accommodate some 12 million people, more than four times its population. China views separately governed Taiwan as its own territory and has ramped up its military pressure over the past five years, including staging half a dozen rounds of war games. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims. — Reuters
The Star
35 minutes ago
- The Star
UK to buy fighter jets capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons
FILE PHOTO: A Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jet performs during an exhibition flight at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Britain said it would buy a dozen F-35A fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons in what it described as the biggest expansion of its nuclear deterrent in a generation. The purchase of the Lockheed Martin jets would allow Britain's air force to carry nuclear weapons for the first time since the end of the Cold War, Downing Street said. "In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace for granted," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. Britain's nuclear deterrent is currently limited to the continuous deployment of at least one nuclear-armed submarine patrolling at sea. Starmer's government is increasing defence spending and upgrading its military forces, including its submarine fleet, as it faces increasing hostility from Russia and as the United States retrenches from its traditional role as a defender of Europe. The announcement by Britain on expanding its nuclear deterrence was made at a NATO summit in The Hague where European members are set to agree an ambitious new target to spend 5% of national income on defence and security. The U.S. will supply B61 tactical nuclear weapons for use on the planes as part of a plan for Britain to take on more responsibility for European security, said a British official who declined to be named. Britain said the purchase of the jets would allow it to contribute so-called dual-capable aircraft to NATO to carry nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said "this is yet another robust British contribution to NATO". NEW CAPABILITY The cost of each F-35A jet is about 80 million pounds ($109 million), putting the total bill for the 12 planes at just under 1 billion pounds, according to another British official, who asked not to be named. Britain's nuclear deterrent currently rests solely on the Trident submarine-based system, which misfired during a test last year, the second successive test failure after one veered off course in 2016. The last time Britain possessed an independent air-launched nuclear capability was in 1998 when the WE-177 free fall bomb was withdrawn from service, according to Britain's parliament. Tactical nuclear weapons are intended for battlefield use, as opposed to strategic weapons designed to be fired across vast distances. By purchasing the F-35A fighter jets, Britain would be able to diversify its military options and align more closely with NATO allies such as France, and the United States, which maintains land, sea, and air-based nuclear capabilities. The United States withdrew its last nuclear weapons from Britain in 2008, in a sign at that time that the threat of conflict following the end of the Cold War was receding. Downing Street said buying the new jets would support about 20,000 jobs in Britain and underline its commitment to NATO. The government has pledged to boost overall defence and security spending to 5% of economic output by 2035 to meet a NATO target and said on Tuesday it must "actively prepare" for war at home for the first time in years. ($1 = 0.7342 pounds) (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Andrew Heavens)
The Star
35 minutes ago
- The Star
Spain does not expect repercussions from not meeting NATO's 5% spending target
FILE PHOTO: Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo poses after talking to media at the G20 finance leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tita Barros/File Photo MADRID (Reuters) -Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said on Wednesday his country does not expect any repercussions from its refusal to meet the defence spending target of 5% of gross domestic product to be set by NATO member countries in a Summit held in The Hague. "Spain will be a responsible ally," Cuerpo said in an interview on Bloomberg TV, as he stressed the country would meet all its military capabilities commitments towards NATO. "No repercussions should derive from making good on our commitments and from being a reliable NATO ally, covering for the capabilities that we did commit to and that are necessary to defend NATO from the different threats that have been identified by experts," Cuerpo said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday his country would not spend more than 2.1% of its gross domestic product in defence as its military capabilities commitments towards NATO don't require more. The summit is expected to endorse a higher defence spending goal of 5% of GDP - a response to a demand by US President Donald Trump and to Europeans' fears that Russia poses an increasingly direct threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte has disputed the Spanish view but accepted a diplomatic fudge with Sanchez as part of his intense efforts to give Trump a diplomatic victory and make the summit go smoothly. (Reporting by Inti Landauro, editing by Charlie Devereux and Aislinn Laing)
