logo
U.S. Strikes Set Back Iran Nuclear Program by a Few Months, Initial Report Says

U.S. Strikes Set Back Iran Nuclear Program by a Few Months, Initial Report Says

A preliminary U.S. intelligence report found that the U.S. military's strikes last week on three Iranian nuclear facilities only set back Tehran's nuclear ambitions by a few months, countering claims made by President Trump and the White House, according to people familiar with the intelligence.
The initial findings, written by the Defense Intelligence Agency, relied on military damage assessments following the bombings, the people said, adding that the assessment could change as more intelligence is collected.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's budget bill could complicate 2026 tax filing season after IRS cuts, watchdog warns
Trump's budget bill could complicate 2026 tax filing season after IRS cuts, watchdog warns

San Francisco Chronicle​

time14 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Trump's budget bill could complicate 2026 tax filing season after IRS cuts, watchdog warns

WASHINGTON (AP) — The budget bill championed by President Donald Trump could complicate next year's tax filing season after the IRS lost one-quarter of its employees through staffing cuts, an independent watchdog reported Wednesday. The IRS workforce has fallen from 102,113 workers to 75,702 over the past year, according to the latest National Taxpayer Advocate report to Congress. The report Wednesday offered the first official numbers on the IRS job losses associated with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Some of the findings from the report: Taxpayers will likely see effects of staffing reductions The Trump administration's efforts to shrink the size of the federal bureaucracy to a mass exodus of probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protections and were offered buyouts through a 'deferred resignation program.' More than 17,500 IRS workers took that route. The biggest cuts were in taxpayer services, the small business/self-employed office and information technology. The report noted that the Republican administration's proposed budget includes a 20% reduction in IRS funding next year. That's a 37% reduction when taking into account the supplemental funding in the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act that Republicans previously stripped away. 'A reduction of that magnitude is likely to impact taxpayers and potentially the revenue collected," wrote Erin M. Collins, who leads the organization assigned to protect taxpayers' rights. The 2026 tax season could be precarious Collins said the 2025 filing season was 'one of the most successful filing seasons in recent memory,' though she warned that the 2026 season could be rocky. 'With the IRS workforce reduced by 26% and significant tax law changes on the horizon, there are risks to next year's filing season,' Collins wrote. "It is critical that the IRS begin to take steps now to prepare.' She said that, halfway through the year, there were concerns that the IRS had not yet undertaken key preparation steps, including hiring and training seasonal and permanent employees. Trump's package could add new layer of problems The report warned about the possibility of understaffing to manage new provisions from Trump's legislative package if it's enacted. 'Several provisions will retroactively affect the 2025 tax year, thus impacting millions of taxpayers and requiring the IRS to quickly update tax year 2025 tax forms and programming for the 2026 filing season," the report said. Specifically, the House bill retroactively prohibits the IRS from allowing or making payment of Employee Retention Credit claims filed after Jan. 31, 2024. The report also said the IRS historically receives more calls in years following significant changes in tax law, so it may need additional employees and improved digital tools to maintain its level of service. Identity theft cases are still piling up The IRS is dealing with delays in resolving self-reported identity theft victim assistance cases — taking up to 20 months to resolve, the report said. As of the end of the 2025 filing season, the IRS was handling about 387,000 of these cases. That is a slight improvement from the more than 22 months it took to resolve identity theft cases, as noted in last year's report, which outlined roughly 500,000 unresolved cases in its inventory. 'The cycle time remains unacceptably long," Collins said. 'I continue to urge the agency to focus on dramatically shortening the time it takes' to resolved identity theft cases, "so it does not force victims, particularly those dependent on their tax refunds, to wait nearly two years to receive their money.'

Trump defends US strikes on Iran as intel assessment stirs debate
Trump defends US strikes on Iran as intel assessment stirs debate

San Francisco Chronicle​

time14 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Trump defends US strikes on Iran as intel assessment stirs debate

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that U.S. strikes delivered a crushing blow to Iran's nuclear program despite a preliminary American intelligence assessment suggesting that the assault inflicted only a marginal setback. 'This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop,' Trump said as his administration deployed a phalanx of top officials to defend his claims that Iran's nuclear program was 'completely and fully obliterated.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the leaked intelligence assessment, which said Iran suffered a delay of only a few months, was 'preliminary' and 'low confidence.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the officials who disclosed the findings are 'professional stabbers.' The White House pointed to a statement from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission that said Iran faced a setback of 'many years.' Drawing reliable conclusions about the impact of the U.S. strikes is difficult, making the issue a breeding ground for competing claims that could determine how American voters view Trump's risky decision to join Israel's attacks on Iran. Also at stake are Trump's next steps in the Middle East, where diplomatic efforts could be required to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear program. Iran maintains that its atomic ambitions are for peaceful purposes, while U.S. and Israeli leaders have described the country's nuclear program as the precursor to obtaining a nuclear weapon. One of the targets of the U.S. attack was Fordo, where nuclear infrastructure is buried deep underground. The Israeli commission said in a statement that the bombing 'rendered the enrichment facility inoperable.' The statement was distributed by the White House and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The American strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other parts of Iran's military nuclear program, have "set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years,' the statement said. In addition, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera that there was significant damage from U.S. bombers. 'Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure,' he said. The episode has triggered some of Trump's longstanding vendettas against leaks and intelligence officials, who he has often viewed as a part of a 'deep state' dedicated to undermining his agenda. He also lashed out at media outlets that reported on the classified assessment, describing them as 'scum" and 'disgusting.' Trump said questioning the effectiveness of the strikes was disrespectful to the military, which flew stealth bombers halfway around the world to attack the nuclear facilities with weapons designed to penetrate deep underground. The reports, he said, were 'very unfair to the pilots, who risked their lives for our country." One critical question is whether enriched uranium, which could be developed into fuel for a nuclear bomb, was moved out of facilities before the U.S. strikes. 'I believe they didn't have a chance to get anything out, because we acted fast,' Trump said. He added that "it's very hard to move that kind of material, and very dangerous.'

Buckingham Palace Announces Surprise Change to Donald Trump's State Visit Later This Year
Buckingham Palace Announces Surprise Change to Donald Trump's State Visit Later This Year

Yahoo

time14 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Buckingham Palace Announces Surprise Change to Donald Trump's State Visit Later This Year

President Donald Trump will head to the U.K. for a second state visit later this year alongside his wife, First Lady Melania Trump The King extended an official invitation to the President that was hand-delivered to the White House last week, Buckingham Palace has confirmed The state visit marks a change from the more "informal" trip that was initially plannedKing Charles will welcome President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to the U.K. later this year, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. Formal planning for the state visit is underway, with an authoritative report in The Times saying it will take place in September. A formal letter of invitation — known as a 'manu regia' — signed by the King, 76, was hand-delivered to the White House by British officials in Washington last week. A Palace aide says, "His Majesty has known President Trump for many years and looks forward to hosting him and the First Lady later this year." It was initially thought that a less formal visit would take place at one of Charles' Scottish homes, possibly during the summer break, with another, longer visit to follow. In his initial letter of invitation, handed to Trump in the Oval Office by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in February, Charles suggested such an informal visit would also offer a "valuable chance to plan a historic second State Visit to the United Kingdom." However, due to both the King's and the President's schedules, that has not been possible to arrange, PEOPLE understands. Upon receiving the initial February invitation, Trump gladly accepted the monarch's hospitality. "The answer is yes, on behalf of our wonderful first lady, Melania, and myself, the answer is yes," he said. "We look forward to being there and honoring the King, honoring your country. Your country is a fantastic country, and it will be an honor to be there." The visit will most likely center on Windsor Castle, and Prince William and Kate Middleton will probably help Charles and Queen Camilla to welcome the guests and attend a glittering state banquet. It will be a second and unprecedented state visit for Trump, coming after he visited the late Queen Elizabeth in 2019. That trip came after much back-and-forth about timings due to protest fears, The New York Times reported at the time. During their visit, a state banquet was hosted at Buckingham Palace by the late Queen, with the then-Prince Charles, the future Queen Camilla, William, and Kate in attendance. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Elizabeth also met Trump and Melania on July 13, 2018, at Windsor Castle, where the president made waves by walking in front of the monarch while inspecting the Guard of Honor, widely interpreted as a breach of protocol around the sovereign. Read the original article on People

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store