White House Blasts Intel Leaks, Insists Iran’s Nuclear Program “Obliterated”

Why it matters:

Whereas prior administrations, including President Biden’s, at times deferred to internal intelligence assessments, President Trump’s White House is forcefully rejecting recent leaks from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggesting limited impact from the June 21 airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Driving the news:

The White House issued a sharply worded statement on Thursday rejecting claims that Iran’s nuclear program remains largely intact following the U.S. military operation.

According to the White House: “Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Have Been Obliterated — and Suggestions Otherwise are Fake News.”

President Trump and top administration officials claimed the coordinated U.S. strikes using bunker-busting bombs and cruise missiles caused “monumental” destruction at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan — Iran’s three main nuclear sites.

What they’re saying:

• President Trump: “Obliteration is an accurate term! The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!”
• Vice President JD Vance: “They are much further away from a nuclear program today than they were 24 hours ago.”
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “It was DEVASTATION underneath Fordow… Anyone who says otherwise is just trying to undermine the President.”
• Chairman of Joint Chiefs Dan Caine: “Initial battle damage assessments indicate extremely severe damage and destruction.”
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “This was complete and total obliteration… They are way behind today.”
• DNI Tulsi Gabbard: “Obliterating key Iranian capabilities needed to quickly assemble a nuclear weapon.”
• IAEA Director Rafael Grossi: “Very significant damage is expected… entrances to tunnels appear to have been hit.”
• David Albright, ISIS: “Effectively destroyed Iran’s centrifuge enrichment program.”
• Andrea Stricker, FDD: “The shock wave at Fordow likely rendered its centrifuges inoperable.”
• Brian Carter, AEI: “No question the bombing campaign ‘badly, badly damaged’ the three sites.”
• Spencer Faragasso, ISIS: “It may possibly take years for Iran to reconstitute the capabilities it lost.”

Yes, but…

Contradictory intelligence reports have sparked internal debate within the U.S. government.

According to CNN, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) concluded that the U.S. airstrikes may have only delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions by a few months. Sources said key infrastructure and centrifuges remained intact and that Iran likely relocated enriched uranium before the attack.

Reuters corroborated this, citing DIA’s battle damage assessment—based on U.S. Central Command analysis—indicating the impact was far less severe than publicly claimed by the administration.

The White House swiftly disputed the findings, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying:

Background:

The operation — codenamed “Midnight Hammer” — was launched by the U.S. military on June 21, 2025, targeting Iran’s hardened nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. The mission reportedly involved seven B-2 stealth bombers dropping GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators and over 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a U.S. Navy submarine.

This marked the largest aerial operation conducted by the U.S. since the Gulf War and the most significant assault on Iran’s nuclear program in decades.

Also Read: Trump Confirms U.S. Bombed Three Nuclear Sites in Iran

What’s next:

While Iran has acknowledged damage to its nuclear infrastructure, it has not confirmed the full extent. The IAEA is expected to issue an independent assessment in the coming days. Meanwhile, the international community remains divided, with some urging caution and others hailing the strikes as a decisive move to prevent Iran’s nuclear breakout.