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Wall Street Journal
9 hours ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Asian Currencies Consolidate; Concerns Over Iran's Nuclear Sites May Weigh
0047 GMT — Asian currencies consolidate against the dollar in the morning session, but may be weighed by concerns that Iran's nuclear sites haven't been damaged that much by the U.S. attacks. 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, according to people familiar with the intelligence. USD's weakness appears to have been 'undone' following this news, says Ray Attrill, head of FX Research at NAB, in a commentary. AUD/USD is little changed at 0.6493 and USD/KRW is steady at 1,358.89, according to FactSet data. (
CBC
12 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
U.S. airstrikes set back Iran's nuclear program by just months, report says
Social Sharing A new U.S. intelligence report found that Iran's nuclear program has been set back by only a few months after a U.S. strike, and was not "completely and fully obliterated" as U.S. President Donald Trump has said, according to two people familiar with the early assessment. The early intelligence report issued by the U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) on Monday contradicts statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran's nuclear facilities. The people were not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. According to the people, the report found that while the Saturday strikes at the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites did significant damage, the sites were not totally destroyed. The assessment found that at least some of Iran's highly enriched uranium was moved out of multiple sites before the strikes and survived, according to the people. It also found that Iran's centrifuges are largely intact. At the deeply buried Fordow uranium enrichment plant, the entrance collapsed but the underground infrastructure was not destroyed, according to one of the people. The person also said that previous assessments had warned of this outcome at Fordow. White House pushes back The White House strongly pushed back on the assessment, calling it "flat-out wrong." "The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear program," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration." WATCH | NATO chief reaches out to Trump: NATO secretary general compliments Trump after U.S. strike on Iran nuclear site sites 2 hours ago Duration 5:56 U.S. President Donald Trump posted a screenshot of a message sent to him from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on social media Tuesday. In the text exchange, Rutte congratulated him for his 'decisive action' in Iran and getting all NATO allies to agree to spend at least five per cent of their GDP on defence. Trump has said in comments and posts on social media in recent days, including Tuesday, that the strikes "totally destroyed" the sites and that Iran will never rebuild its nuclear facilities. The U.S. president has said the attacks were necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies it is seeking such a weapon and says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Netanyahu applauds 'historic' U.S. involvement Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Tuesday that, "For dozens of years I promised you that Iran would not have nuclear weapons and indeed ... we brought to ruin Iran's nuclear program." He said the U.S. joining Israel was "historic" and thanked Trump. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) declined to comment on the DIA assessment. ODNI co-ordinates the work of the nation's 18 intelligence agencies, including the DIA, which is the intelligence arm of the U.S. Defence Department, responsible for producing intelligence on foreign militaries and the capabilities of adversaries. The intelligence assessment was first reported by CNN on Tuesday. Reuters and the New York Times also published reports on the DIA assessment. Democrats have previously said Trump's claims that the weekend strikes eliminated or seriously set back Iran's nuclear program were not yet backed by evidence. "There's zero evidence that I've seen that the nuclear program was completely and totally obliterated, as Donald Trump has claimed," U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Monday. Classified briefings on the matter for members of the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate were cancelled on Tuesday.
Wall Street Journal
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
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.
Globe and Mail
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
U.S. strikes set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months, U.S. intelligence report says
A new U.S. intelligence report found that Iran's nuclear program has been set back only a few months after a U.S. strike, and was not 'completely and fully obliterated' as President Donald Trump has said, according to two people familiar with the early assessment. The early intelligence report issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday contradicts statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran's nuclear facilities. The people were not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. According to the people, the report found that while the Saturday strikes at the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites did significant damage, they were not totally destroyed. Israel-Iran ceasefire holds as Trump criticizes both sides for violations The White House strongly pushed back on the assessment, calling it 'flat-out wrong.' 'The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear program,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. 'Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.' The CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the DIA assessment. ODNI coordinates the work of the nation's 18 intelligence agencies, including the DIA, which is the intelligence arm of the Defense Department, responsible for producing intelligence on foreign militaries and the capabilities of adversaries. The intelligence assessment was first reported by CNN on Tuesday.
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Trump Insists Iran Nuclear Sites Were Destroyed—Vance, Experts Suggest Otherwise
An early U.S. intelligence report found Iran's nuclear program was set back only a few months after U.S. strikes, contradicting claims by President Donald Trump it was 'totally destroyed' as Vice President JD Vance, military officials and nuclear watchdogs suggest the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities remains unconfirmed. Trump claimed Iran's nuclear sites sustained 'monumental damage,' while other administration ... More officials say an assessment is ongoing. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. An intelligence report issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday suggests Iran's nuclear program was delayed less than six months, unnamed officials familiar with the assessment told multiple outlets, and one official told the New York Times the U.S. strikes closed off entrances to two enrichment facilities but 'did not collapse their underground buildings.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said on ABC News on Monday the U.S. was 'confident' Iran's nuclear program was 'completely and totally obliterated,' noting there was a 'high degree of confidence' the locations the U.S. strikes took place is where Iran stored its enriched uranium and that Iran 'no longer [has] the capability … to threaten the world.' International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi appeared to dispute those claims in a statement earlier Monday by suggesting the agency would need to verify damage to Iran's underground Fordow facility, including whether the site's uranium enrichment halls were impacted, though he noted the U.S. strikes likely caused 'very significant' damage. On Sunday, hours after the mission, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said an assessment on damage to Iran's nuclear sites was 'still pending,' and Caine claimed it was 'way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there.' Vance, in an interview with ABC on Sunday, suggested the U.S. strikes only set back Iran's potential to weaponize its uranium stockpile and said the U.S. was 'going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel.' Jeffrey Lewis, a professor of nonproliferation at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, wrote on X he was 'unimpressed' by the U.S. strikes while citing satellite images of the attacks, claiming the U.S. 'failed to target significant elements of Iran's nuclear materials and production infrastructure.' 'The sites we hit in Iran were totally destroyed, and everyone knows it,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, disputing 'Fake News' he claims 'would say anything different in order to try and demean, as much as possible—and even they say they were 'pretty well destroyed!'' Trump claimed Saturday that Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities were 'completely and totally obliterated,' adding late Sunday Iran's nuclear site in Fordow sustained 'monumental damage. How Large Is Iran's Uranium Stockpile? Iran stored about 400 kilograms (about 881 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%, near weapons-grade enrichment of 90%, according to Grossi. It's unclear whether Iran's uranium stockpile is still this large, Grossi noted, adding IAEA's inspectors last verified Iran's stockpile a 'few days' before Iran's conflict with Israel began earlier this month. It's possible Iran could rebuild its nuclear program, but a timeline for development would depend on how much damage was done to Iran's nuclear sites, according to the Centers for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S.-based think tank. Recent U.S. strikes would make Iran 'more motivated than ever' to obtain nuclear weapons, Rosemary Kelanic, a director at the U.S.-based think tank Defense Priorities, told the New York Times. Some American officials estimated an attack on Fordow set back Iran's nuclear program by as much as five years, the Times reported. What We Don't Know Whether Iran moved its uranium stockpile before the U.S. strikes. Grossi said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi notified him on June 13—the day Israel launched airstrikes at Iran—that Iran would adopt unspecified 'special measures to protect our nuclear equipment and materials.' Iran is required to disclose whether its nuclear materials are transferred to another facility, Grossi said, though he did not specify whether Iran had done so. Grossi reportedly said he requested IAEA's inspectors to return to Iran's sites to 'account for the stockpiles of uranium.' Key Background Trump announced Saturday the U.S. attacked Iran's nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. The mission, with the codename 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' was a 'precision operation' that targeted Iran's nuclear capabilities, Hegseth said. The strikes followed weeks of the Trump administration pushing for Iran to end its nuclear program before a conflict escalated between Iran and Israel. Shortly after the strikes, Trump warned Iran against retaliating, claiming, 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran.' Vance echoed Trump's call for peace and said the U.S. was 'not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program.' Araghchi accused the U.S. of an 'unprecedented violation' of the UN's founding charter and international law, arguing Trump was 'abusing our commitment to diplomacy.' Forbes U.S. Strikes Iran: Qatar Closes Airspace As U.S. Citizens Urged To Shelter (Live Updates) By Zachary Folk
