The head of the CIA has said a “body of credible intelligence” indicates that Iran’s nuclear programme was “severely damaged” by a US operation last weekend.
Director John Ratcliffe revealed that information from a “historically reliable and accurate source” suggests several key sites were destroyed – and will take years to rebuild.
This contrasts with a recently leaked report from the US Defence Intelligence Agency that cast doubt on the effectiveness of Operation Midnight Hammer.
An assessment obtained by several media outlets concluded that bombing of three nuclear facilities might only have set back Iran’s capabilities by a few months.
CIA boss John Ratcliffe. Pic: Reuters
Donald Trump has refuted this leak in the strongest possible terms – describing it as “fake news” and insisting the military’s targets were “totally obliterated”.
He added: “This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop.”
The US president went on to reveal that defence secretary Pete Hegseth will be holding a “major news conference” on Thursday afternoon that will be “interesting and irrefutable”.
On Truth Social, he claimed that the “Great American Pilots” involved in the operation were “very upset” by the leaked report.
“After 36 hours of dangerously flying through Enemy Territory, they landed, they knew the Success was LEGENDARY, and then, two days later, they started reading Fake News by CNN and The Failing New York Times,” he wrote.
The White House has highlighted an Israeli statement that suggested Tehran’s nuclear efforts have now been delayed for a few years, with Iran’s foreign ministry also confirming the facilities have suffered significant damage.
But drawing reliable conclusions about the impact of the bunker buster bombs remains difficult – especially only days after they took place.
Jeffrey Lewis, a professor of non-proliferation at the Middlebury Institute, said: “If it’s too early to know, why is Trump saying it’s obliterated? Either it’s too early to know, or you know.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Daddy’ Trump stopped Israel-Iran fighting
In other developments, Mr Trump has confirmed the US will be holding talks with Iran next week.
However, he said he doesn’t think an agreement to curtail its nuclear programme is needed, because Iran’s facilities are now too badly damaged.
“They’re not going to be doing it anyway. They’ve had it,” he claimed.
The president joined fellow world leaders at a NATO summit in The Hague, where members agreed to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP.
