US media are reporting that an initial assessment produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency says US strikes on Iran only set back its nuclear programme by a few months.
In a post on social media, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, says: “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 BBC’s US partner, CBS News, reports that a source familiar with the assessment has confirmed to them that a preliminary assessment indicates the strikes set back the programme by months, and did not obliterate the facilities.
The source says the assessment indicates strikes on the Fordo facility caved in the entrances but that the enrichment infrastructure buried further underground remains largely intact.
They also appear to contradict Leavitt’s claim about the quality of the assessment, saying such preliminary assessments tend to hold up.
Source-BBC
