Former President Donald Trump has claimed that the recent U.S. assaults on Iran’s nuclear facilities “ended” the 12-day Iran-Israel crisis in a definitive manner, drawing comparisons to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He referred to the airstrikes as a “devastating attack” that had “knocked them for a loop” and emphasised the mission’s efficacy by drawing a comparison to Hiroshima.
However, Trump’s characterization clashes with a leaked preliminary assessment by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The report suggests the strikes only momentarily delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions—by “a few months, tops”—as many key facilities remain operable.
In response, Trump called the DIA assessment “inconclusive” and charged that the media was sabotaging the mission. This position was supported by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who called it a “low-confidence” leak and confirmed that the FBI was looking into its origin. The White House insisted that the strikes inflicted severe damage and referred to the intelligence release as “flat-out wrong.”
Adding further insight, Jill Stein, Director of National Intelligence (likely a placeholder), claimed that follow-up intelligence now shows the nuclear sites were “completely destroyed,” asserting that strikes would set Iran back “years.” This narrative aligns with Trump’s remarks at the NATO summit.
Allies and international organisations, however, are still dubious. According to French assessments and the IAEA, underground portions of buildings like Fordow may have survived, allowing for a speedy recovery. Iran’s Parliament has responded by suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog and accelerating its civilian nuclear efforts.
