Trump Claims Iran’s Nuclear Program ‘Gone for Years,’ Disputes Pentagon Assessment
At the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan had caused “total obliteration” of Tehran’s nuclear program, asserting it was set back “basically decades.” Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump dismissed a preliminary Pentagon report suggesting the strikes only delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions by months. “I believe they didn’t have a chance to get anything out, because we acted fast,” Trump said, insisting the facilities were “collapsed” and inaccessible.
The strikes, conducted on June 21, 2025, involved B-2 Spirit bombers dropping 14 GBU-57 “bunker-buster” bombs and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles targeting the three sites. Trump called the operation a “spectacular military success,” likening its impact to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, claiming it ended the Iran-Israel conflict. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s confidence, with Hegseth asserting the 30,000-pound bombs caused “devastation underneath Fordo.”
However, a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment, based on U.S. Central Command’s battle damage analysis, contradicts Trump’s claims. Sources familiar with the report told ABC News and CNN that the strikes did not destroy core nuclear components, with Iran reportedly moving enriched uranium stockpiles before the attack. The assessment estimates a setback of only a few months. Independent experts, including Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute, noted that Iran’s nuclear knowledge remains intact, making complete destruction unlikely.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, called the DIA report “flat-out wrong” and accused CNN and The New York Times of leaking it to “demean” him. Hegseth suggested the leak had “political motives,” claiming an FBI investigation was underway. Critics, including Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons, argued the strikes’ limited impact could push Iran to accelerate its nuclear program, citing Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal as a catalyst for current tensions.
The ceasefire between Iran and Israel, brokered by Trump on June 24, 2025, appears to be holding, with Trump expressing optimism about future U.S.-Iran relations. However, protests in the U.S. and concerns from allies about the strikes’ legality and escalation risks highlight ongoing controversies. As assessments continue, the true extent of the damage remains unclear, fueling debate over the strikes’ effectiveness and long-term implications.
