President Donald Trump asserted on Wednesday that Israeli operatives examined Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility after recent U.S. airstrikes and reported that the site was “completely destroyed.”
He also issued a caution that additional measures would be implemented if Iran resumed uranium enrichment, as reported by FirstPost.
“They have personnel who enter after the strike, and they indicated it was total destruction,” Trump informed attendees and journalists at a NATO meeting in The Hague this week.
Trump further stated that Israel is in the process of conducting a comprehensive damage assessment and implied that Iran had insufficient time to move any materials from the location prior to the strike.
He likened the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, asserting that both had a similarly significant impact in bringing the conflict to an end.
Trump’s rhetoric became increasingly dramatic throughout the day as he dismissed reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the disappearance of Iran’s 400kg stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium, as noted by Forbes.
Earlier this week, U.S. Vice President JD Vance admitted that the U.S. was unsure about the location of the uranium and stated that the matter would be discussed in forthcoming talks with Iranian officials.
On Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Iran’s nuclear program had suffered considerable damage and would take years to restore. “Several key nuclear facilities were destroyed,” he stated, referencing credible intelligence sources.
Trump also indicated that a meeting between the U.S. and Iran is likely to occur next week to address Tehran’s nuclear program. “We may sign an agreement, or we may not,” he remarked. “I don’t care if I have an agreement or not.”
Additionally, the president seemed less confident about a lasting cease-fire and peace between Israel and Iran after previously announcing that it would endure “forever.”
“They’re both tired… but could it start again? Maybe. Maybe soon,” he commented, according to FirstPost.
In the meantime, a leaked report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, which emerged shortly after the strikes, asserted that the Iranian programs had only been delayed “by months.” However, this evaluation — which was not referenced by news organizations such as CNN and the New York Times — indicated that the intelligence was of “low confidence.”
This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the FBI is collaborating with the Pentagon to identify the individual responsible for the leak, and that criminal charges are probable.
During an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters on Thursday, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) suggested that the leak must have originated from a member of the House or Senate on the intelligence committees due to their access to those reports.
“Currently, they are searching for a leaker. So, what is Congress’s role in this? Now they are investigating Congress. Initially, I believed it was someone from the Pentagon, but now they are indicating it could have been a Congressional member. Do they access it through a computer, or how does this process work?” the host inquired of Graham.
You receive the report. You obtain the initial evaluation that members of Congress conduct on specific committees. “You can exclude me as a leaker,” Graham replied.
“I am not promoting the narrative; this was not an effective strike,” Graham stated. This was destruction by the definition found in the dictionary, and if you were present on the ground…,” he continued before Watters interjected to inquire about the workings of Congress concerning intelligence reports.
“We receive information—certain committees do—regarding the initial assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency. Someone leaked that assessment to imply that the operation was not as Trump described it,” the senator remarked.
“They possess a political agenda. You do not need to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce this. It is someone who aims to undermine Trump. Could it be a member of Congress? Possibly. I do not care about your title. If you have leaked classified information, you ought to face imprisonment,” he asserted.
