Trump Says Airstrikes Destroyed Iran's Nuclear Sites, US Intelligence Says It Didn't: Who Is Lying?
Trump's Iran airstrikes: The DIA found that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium remained intact, as did its centrifuges
Contradicting US President Donald Trump's claims, the early assessment by US intelligence suggests that the airstrikes in Iran on June 22 did not destroy Iran's nuclear sites.
Trump had asserted that the US attack had ' completely obliterated" Iran's nuclear capabilities and that Iran would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. To evaluate these claims, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon's intelligence arm, conducted a battle damage assessment.
The DIA found that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium were intact, as were its centrifuges. The assessment revealed that 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, enough to build up to 10 nuclear weapons, had been moved from the sites before the US strikes. Satellite images showed 16 trucks lined up days before the airstrikes on Fordow, suggesting Tehran may have relocated its uranium stockpiles.
#BreakingNews | Iran's uranium stockpile is not destroyed: U.S Intel Sources @ayusureboutdat @akankshaswarups | #Iran #IsraeliranWar pic.twitter.com/Bz0j0vllV5 — News18 (@CNNnews18) June 25, 2025
THE MISSING URANIUM & FACTS
US Vice-President JD Vance confirmed in an interview with ABC News that the Trump administration would engage with Iran regarding the missing enriched uranium. Meanwhile, Trump has criticised CNN, the New York Times, and MSNBC, accusing them of downplaying the success of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The White House acknowledged the intelligence assessment, but disagreed with it. White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt stated that the assessment was 'flat-out wrong," attributing the leak to an 'anonymous, low-level loser" in the intelligence community. Levitt emphasised that the mission was to obliterate Iran's nuclear programme, claiming complete success.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supported the President's stance, suggesting that downplaying the bombs' devastation was an attempt to undermine the President and the mission's success.
However, the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency remains at odds with the President, with further damage analysis going on.
WHAT IS IRAN DOING?
The UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, had its verification suspended after June 13, leaving them without updates on the uranium's location. Analysts suggest that Iran's strategy involves maintaining nuclear leverage through deterrence, moving uranium to ensure rapid restart capability.
US intelligence agencies have long concluded that while Iran enriches uranium, it has not built atomic bombs. This has fuelled debates over Iran's enrichment programme's significance versus actual weapons development.
Iran's approach mirrors Iraq's under Saddam Hussein, who dismantled his WMD programs in the 1990s but never disclosed this, leading to the 2003 US invasion.
As of 2025, the question remains: Is history repeating itself? Iran signals it has not abandoned nuclear ambitions, with enriched material and scientific knowledge preserved. Concealing its capabilities strengthens Iran's negotiating power without open escalation.
Tehran's refusal to cooperate with the IAEA and hints at exiting the Non-Proliferation Treaty suggest a shift towards a more defiant nuclear posture, raising the question of whether military conflict is the solution to Iran's nuclear threat.
First Published:
June 25, 2025, 19:08 IST
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Business Standard
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