Bonnie Cash / POOL / EPA
Pentagon denied the huge success of the offensive, but Trump accuses communication bodies of publishing “fake news.”
The US attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday did not destroy them and only delayed the nuclear program in “a few months ”according to a report of US information services released by the ‘media’ and denied by the authorities.
Prior to the attack on Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow facilities, in the “midnight hammer” operation, US information agencies predicted that it will take it about three months to manufacture a nuclear bomb, according to The New York Times (NYT).
After the attack, the report of the information department, released by the newspaper, it raised the estimated deadline to less than six months, the EFE agency reported.
CNN also reported today, citing three responsible for US information services, which Trump’s ordered attacks could not destroy the Iranian nuclear program And only delayed him a few months.
The Associated Press (AP) confirmed the information of this report, citing two people linked to the process.
In Tehran, Iranian atomic energy agency announced today that Iran is ready to resume uranium enrichment within its nuclear program.
The initial assessment of the damage suggests that President Donald Trump’s allegations that the country’s nuclear abilities had been eliminatedas well as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, are exaggerated.
The report pointed out that bombing only a small part of the nuclear material, Since most of Iran’s enriched uranium reserves were transferred before the offensive.
Other officials stressed that the report concluded that the three nuclear locations – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – suffered damage from moderate to severe, with the most affected Natanz installation, reports.
In the Deep Uranium Enrichment Center, deeply buried, the entrance collapsed and the infrastructures have been damaged, which will take time to repair, but underground infrastructures were not destroyed, according to one of the sources cited by AP.
The same source also said that previous evaluations had warned of this result in Fordow. The report also indicated thatand much of Iran’s enriched uranium stock was moved before the attackswho destroyed little of the nuclear material.
This initial five -page report has only preliminary conclusions that will require further analyzes.
The Pentagon had previously stated that the offensive occurred as planned and was “extremely successful.”
After the reports of the American media, both the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, or the White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt, denied the information disclosed.
“Based on everything we have seen – and I saw everything – our bombing campaign has deactivated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons,” Hegseth stressed in a written statement.
For the Pentagon leader, “Who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the president and the success of the mission. ”
The presidential spokeswoman agreed that the document in question is wrong.
Trump accuses CNN of “denigrating” his image
The US President accused CNN and the New York Times of trying to distort the bombing to Iranian nuclear facilities after the report.
“CNN fake news, along with the failed New York Times, have come together to try to devalue one of the most successful military attacks in history-Iran’s nuclear facilities were completely destroyed,” he said on Tuesday.
According to Leavitt, the escape of information “is a clear attempt to denigrate ”Trump and “discredit the brave hunting riders who performed a impeccably executed mission to destroy the nuclear program of Iran.”
“We all know what happens when fourteen 13,600 pound bombs are released precisely on their targets: total annihilation“He concluded.