Pentagon Defends Iran Nuclear Strikes Amid Conflicting Damage Reports

The Pentagon and the Biden administration have released detailed information about the June 21 U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, aiming to counter early reports suggesting the damage was minimal. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump assert the strikes have significantly set back or even obliterated Iran's nuclear program, with officials like DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe supporting claims of severe damage requiring years to rebuild. The operation was the result of a 15-year, highly classified effort to study and develop specialized weapons, such as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, to target deeply buried sites like the Fordo facility. Despite this, preliminary military intelligence assessments suggested the setbacks might only delay Iran’s program by months, leading to disputes over the effectiveness of the strikes and criticism of media coverage. Hegseth and Trump have condemned the leak of the early assessment as an attempt to undermine the strike's success, with Trump calling for journalists' firings and accusing certain news outlets of spreading 'fake news.' International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi also indicated that Iran’s uranium-enriching centrifuges had been knocked out, reinforcing the claim of substantial damage.