Early assessment suggests US strikes didn't destroy Iran nuclear sites, report says

Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News on Jun 24, 2025

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An early assessment of damage done to the Iranian nuclear facilities struck by U.S. bombers on Saturday reportedly indicates those sites were not “fully obliterated” as President Donald Trump has claimed.

Multiple sources briefed on the condition of the core components of Iran’s atomic program told The Associated Press and CNN that while significant damage was done, the strikes likely set back Iran’s nuclear program by just a few months. Centrifuges used to enrich uranium don’t appear to have been destroyed, according to the report.

The early assessment was reportedly produced by the Pentagon’s intelligence arm based on an analysis conducted by the U.S. Central Command.

“Operation Midnight Hammer” targeted three major nuclear sites in Iran with the intention of preventing the Middle Eastern nation from developing a nuclear weapons program. That surprise attack, which involved 125 aircraft and 75 precision guided weapons, was immediately proclaimed a huge success by Trump. The commander-in-chief declared the targets had been “obliterated,” despite defense officials warning an accurate damage assessment could take time.

Trump assured reporters on Tuesday that the sites were “demolished,” while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the assessment “flat-out wrong.”

“The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program,” Leavitt said in a statement. “Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

But according to the New York Times, the preliminary report claims the bombing sealed off the entrances to two Iranian nuclear facilities, but failed to collapse the structures beneath those openings. ABC News sources reported similar conclusions.

Despite a week of Israeli attacks on Iran, Iranian operations like the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant — which is built beneath a mountain — were believed to be vulnerable only to heavy duty Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs, which are possessed by the U.S. alone.

While the U.S. believes it hit all of its targets, CNN said it’s still too early to gather a comprehensive report on the damage the underground Iranian facilities ultimately sustained.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran reportedly said on Tuesday that “the nuclear program of Iran will resume without interruption,” according to the Daily Beast.

The U.S. and Israel have vowed that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has said its uranium enrichment program is for energy purposes, not weaponry.