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US attacks on Iran damaged only one of three nuclear sites targeted: Report

President Trump reportedly called off a sustained, multi-week US bombing campaign that would have been needed to destroy Iran's nuclear program

A new US intelligence assessment has concluded that only one of the three Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities targeted in last month’s US airstrikes was seriously damaged, casting doubt on US President Donald Trump’s claims that Iran’s nuclear capabilities were completely obliterated, NBC News reported on 17 July.

According to five current and former US officials, the Fordow facility sustained significant damage, setting back enrichment activities there. However, the other two sites – Natanz and Isfahan – suffered only partial degradation. Intelligence suggests that Iran could resume operations at those locations within several months.

The findings, shared with US lawmakers and allied governments in recent days, indicate a more nuanced picture than the Trump administration initially presented. Following the strikes, President Trump declared the operation “a spectacular military success” and asserted that Iran’s “key enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”

However, the internal assessment suggests otherwise. While Fordow’s setback is considered major, analysts believe that the other facilities could quickly return to operational status, especially if Iran decides not to re-engage in nuclear negotiations.

A White House spokesperson maintained the administration’s line, stating, “Operation Midnight Hammer totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear capabilities.” The Pentagon echoed that stance, with spokesman Sean Parnell dismissing media reports as “fake news” and reiterating that Iran’s nuclear program had been “destroyed, in the dirt.”

Despite such rhetoric, planning documents reveal that US Central Command had originally developed a broader military operation that included additional targets and a prolonged campaign that could have lasted weeks. President Trump ultimately rejected that plan, reportedly due to concerns over potential casualties and his desire to avoid further entanglement in the region.

“We were willing to go all the way in our options, but the president did not want to,” one of the sources with knowledge of the plan told NBC News.

On the Iranian side, officials have offered conflicting responses. On 27 June, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged “excessive and serious” damage to some facilities following the US attack. But Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, dismissed the strikes as ineffective, stating that they “failed to accomplish anything significant.”

Several reports have emerged suggesting Iran was able to move much of its stockpile of enriched uranium to new locations in advance of the bombing.

Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi explained that the extent of the damage done in the actual strikes was not crucial.

“Bombing cannot erase this knowledge – it will only come back stronger,” he stated.

Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, while the US and Israel claim Tehran is seeking a nuclear weapon, which would help counter Israel’s nuclear capabilities.