Just About Everyone Dumps Cold Water On CNN Report Alleging Minor Damage To Iran Nuke Sites

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and even the Iranian government contradicted a Tuesday CNN story on a leaked preliminary DIA damage report alleging President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites caused little damage.

The report contents, which the DIA later described as a “low confidence” assessment, allegedly show that damage to the Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites was mostly relegated to outdoor facilities and only set Tehran’s nuclear ambitions back by months, as opposed to Trump’s claim that he “obliterated” the program, seven sources with knowledge of the report’s contents first told CNN. However, the DIA, the Israeli Israeli Atomic Energy Commission Commission, the White House, CIA and even Iranian assessments themselves all seemingly contradict the findings of the CNN story, generally asserting that the strikes did indeed cause significant damage to Iran’s nuclear program.

“This is a preliminary, low confidence report and will continue to be refined as additional intelligence becomes available,” a senior DIA official told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.”

Other outlets, such as The New York Times, also covered the leaked report, but also noted that “other officials” maintained that Fordow and Natanz suffered heavy damage from the strikes and that the report was only initial. The Washington Post noted that the report was “low confidence” and the preliminary nature of its findings.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday on X that “new intelligence” confirmed Trump’s characterization of the strikes, adding that it would “likely take years” for Iran to rebuild its nuclear program. Moreover, CIA Director John Ratcliffe joined the chorus of U.S. officials contradicting the report, also saying it would take years for Iran to repair the damage.

The Israeli Atomic Energy Commission maintained that the facilities were “rendered inoperable” and said it would delay Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon by “many years.” Three Israeli officials told Axios that the facilities suffered “very significant” damage, and some were reportedly confused by the comparatively dismal U.S. preliminary assessment.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry also admitted that the facilities were “badly damaged” by the strikes.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also echoed the White House sentiment, telling the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement that the bombs “obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.”

“The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission,” Hegseth told the DCNF.

Hegseth also announced Wednesday morning at the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was launching a probe into how the report leaked.

CNN said in a statement Wednesday that it stands behind its story “100%” and added that it does not “believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest.”

Among the contributors to the CNN article was Natasha Bertrand, a national security reporter for the network known for publishing a now-infamous story in 2020 saying over 50 former U.S. intel officials considered the Hunter Biden laptop to be a likely instrument of “Russian disinformation.”

The veracity of the laptop was confirmednumeroustimes over former President Joe Biden’s administration, finally culminating with the Department of Justice formally acknowledging its authenticity in 2024.

The DIA also concluded in a 2023 declassified report that the COVID-19 did not originate from a lab, despite documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act that revealed the DIA’s own specialists thought the virus appeared to be engineered.

The leaked intel report came just three days after the strikes, with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine saying the facilities sustained “extremely severe damage” in a press conference on the Sunday after the U.S. attacks.

Seven B-2 Stealth bombers loosed 14 GBU-57 “bunker buster” bombs over Fordow and Natanz under the cover of night on June 21, with each bomb having over 5,000 pounds of explosives. The bombs are specifically designed to penetrate up to 200 ft into the ground.

Esfahan was hit with a barrage of tomahawk missiles from ships in the Arabian Sea, Caine told reporters Sunday.

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