CIA Director John Ratcliffe announced on Wednesday that new intelligence confirms extensive and long-term damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure as a result of recent U.S. airstrikes, challenging earlier reports that downplayed the impact.
Ratcliffe stated the CIA had received credible intelligence indicating that “several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.” The agency, he noted, had sourced the information through historically reliable channels.
“The CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran's nuclear program has been severely damaged by the recent targeted strikes,” Ratcliffe said. “This includes new intelligence from a reliable and accurate source confirming the destruction of multiple key facilities.”
The CIA continues to gather further information and has pledged to keep relevant oversight bodies and the public informed as developments unfold.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at the NATO summit in the Netherlands, echoed the CIA’s assessment and rejected earlier intelligence suggesting minimal damage. Trump described the operation as “a devastating attack” that had “completely and fully obliterated” critical Iranian nuclear sites.
“It knocked them for a loop,” he said, dismissing the Pentagon’s earlier classified assessment as incomplete.
The statements from top U.S. officials mark a significant escalation in the rhetoric surrounding the Iran nuclear issue, with both the CIA and the White House emphasizing the scale and severity of the damage inflicted. The long-term implications for Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain unclear, but the reconstruction of the affected facilities could take years.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)