Exclusive: Early U.S. Intel undermines Trump’s claims of destroying Iran’s nuclear sites

DDM News

A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment suggests that recent American airstrikes on Iran failed to eliminate the country’s key nuclear infrastructure, according to three individuals briefed on the findings.

The assessment, which has not been previously disclosed, was compiled by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the intelligence arm of the Pentagon.

It draws from battle damage analyses conducted by U.S. Central Command following the strikes.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) has learned that the assessment concludes the strikes likely delayed Iran’s nuclear progress by only a few months.

The findings challenge claims by President Donald Trump and top defense officials that the operation completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

The analysis remains ongoing, and officials continue gathering intelligence, including information emerging from within Iran.

However, preliminary data contradicts President Trump’s repeated assertions that the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed this sentiment over the weekend, insisting that Iran’s nuclear ambitions “have been obliterated.”

Two individuals familiar with the assessment said that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains largely untouched.

One of the sources indicated that most of Iran’s centrifuges appear to be “intact.”

“The DIA’s assessment is that the U.S. set them back maybe a few months, tops,” one of the sources added.

The White House acknowledged the existence of the assessment but expressed strong disagreement with its conclusions.

In a statement to CNN, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community.

“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.

“Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

The U.S. military has maintained that the mission went according to plan and labeled it an “overwhelming success.”

Despite the administration’s confidence, it remains early to determine the full extent of the damage.

The DIA assessment currently stands as the only known official evaluation, and it remains unclear how it compares to assessments by other U.S. intelligence agencies.

The U.S. continues to collect post-strike intelligence, including surveillance and communications intercepts originating from inside Iran.

Israel had been conducting its own strikes against Iranian nuclear assets in the days preceding the U.S. operation.

Israeli officials reportedly requested American assistance, specifically access to the U.S. military’s 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs to strike deeper underground targets.

The American campaign involved B-2 stealth bombers dropping more than a dozen of these Massive Ordnance Penetrators on two major Iranian nuclear facilities: the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Natanz Enrichment Complex.

Sources briefed on the DIA findings told CNN that despite the use of these powerful munitions, neither the centrifuges nor the highly enriched uranium stored at those sites were fully destroyed.

Instead, the damage inflicted across the three targets, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, was largely limited to surface structures, including power systems and above-ground buildings used for processing uranium into bomb-grade material.

“Aboveground infrastructure was decimated, but underground capabilities remain largely intact,” one official familiar with the assessment noted.

Secretary Hegseth, however, continues to argue the strikes delivered a decisive blow.

“Based on everything we have seen, and I’ve seen it all, our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons,”

Hegseth said in an interview with CNN. “Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target and worked perfectly.

The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission.”

President Trump, speaking again Tuesday morning, reaffirmed his belief that the strikes delivered overwhelming damage.

“I think it’s been completely demolished,” Trump stated.

“Those pilots hit their targets. Those targets were obliterated, and the pilots should be given credit.”

When asked about Iran’s potential to rebuild its nuclear program, Trump responded, “That place is under rock. That place is demolished.”

Despite these assertions, some top military officials are urging caution.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, emphasized on Sunday that damage assessments were still in the early stages, adding that it would be “way too early” to assess whether Iran retains nuclear capabilities.

Meanwhile, classified briefings for both the House and Senate regarding the operation were abruptly postponed on Tuesday, with no clear reason provided.

Two sources familiar with the situation confirmed to CNN that the all-Senate briefing has been rescheduled for Thursday.

The classified House briefing was also canceled, but a new date has not been confirmed.

Representative Pat Ryan, a Democrat from New York, posted on X that “Trump just cancelled a classified House briefing on the Iran strikes with zero explanation. The real reason?

He claims he destroyed ‘all nuclear facilities and capability’; his team knows they can’t back up his bluster and BS.”

For years, questions have persisted regarding the effectiveness of the U.S. military’s bunker-buster bombs against Iran’s deeply fortified nuclear installations, especially at Fordow and Isfahan.

The Fordow facility is located beneath a mountain, while Isfahan, the largest of Iran’s nuclear research sites, is believed to have even deeper subterranean layers.

In a notable decision, the U.S. chose not to deploy a bunker buster against Isfahan. Instead, Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from a U.S. submarine to target the facility.

According to one source, this decision stemmed from a Pentagon analysis suggesting that even the most powerful U.S. bombs would not penetrate Isfahan’s deepest levels.

U.S. officials also believe that Iran maintains additional secret nuclear sites that were not targeted during the strike and remain operational.

These hidden facilities are believed to play a role in preserving Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

These findings, if confirmed, would represent a significant gap in the intended impact of the U.S. operation.

Kindly share 🙏

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook