 US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities "did not collapse underground buildings" and only set their nuclear capabilities back "by a few months," Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with findings of a new classified Defense Intelligence Agency intel assessment.
From Reuters, "US strikes failed to destroy Iran's nuclear sites, intelligence report says":
U.S. airstrikes did not destroy Iran's nuclear capability and only set it back by a few months, according to a preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment, as a shaky ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump took hold between Iran and Israel.
Earlier on Tuesday, both Iran and Israel signaled that the air war between the two nations had ended, at least for now, after Trump publicly scolded them for violating a ceasefire he announced at 0500 GMT.
As the two countries lifted civilian restrictions after 12 days of war - which the U.S. joined with an attack on Iran's uranium-enrichment facilities - each sought to claim victory.
Trump said over the weekend that the U.S. deployment of 30,000-pound bombs had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program. But that claim appeared to be contradicted by an initial assessment by one of his administration's intelligence agencies, according to three people familiar with the matter.
One of the sources said Iran's enriched uranium stocks had not been eliminated, and the country's nuclear program, much of which is buried deep underground, may have been set back only a month or two. Iran says its nuclear research is for civilian energy production.
The White House said the intelligence assessment was "flat out wrong." According to the report, which was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the strikes sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities, but did not collapse underground buildings, said one of the people familiar with its findings.
Some centrifuges still remained intact after the attacks, the Washington Post said, citing an unnamed person familiar with the report.
Trump's administration told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that its weekend strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had "degraded" Iran's nuclear program, short of Trump's earlier assertion that the facilities had been "obliterated."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack on Iran had removed the threat of nuclear annihilation and was determined to thwart any attempt by Tehran to revive its weapons program.
"We have removed two immediate existential threats to us: the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles," Netanyahu said. The GBU-57A/B bunker busters were developed in a half-billion dollar program the US created just for this task.
It appears they failed.
Now the face-saving begins.
Leaking the truth about these suspected failed strikes to the American people is "treasonous," Trump envoy/golfing buddy Steve Witkoff says.
No doubt the pressure is already building to attack Iran again.
The Israelis -- always ones to show their gratitude -- are blaming Trump for the unprovoked war they started appearing to backfire.
From Ary Jeay:
In an interview on the Israeli I24news network:
“The Iranian Fordow nuclear facility can only be destroyed from the inside. Let’s stop with illusions and fantasies—it can only be done from within, or with 100’s of bombs dropped one after another.
What’s troubling is this: We set a goal to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program—but we failed to do it. Iran still has enriched uranium, and it still has key (untouched) active facilities.
And I say this with great caution: The Iranians have not said their final word. Those who don’t understand the Shiites, the Arab world, or the Iranians don’t realize that as the Bedouins say: Revenge is served cold.
This was a mistake. Trump truly made a huge blunder. I hope we won’t be the ones to pay the price for Trump’s blunder.” This is the "thanks" you get, Mr. President.
Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, Minds and Telegram.
|
