A U.S. assessment found that the underground facilities were not destroyed following airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, and the nuclear program has been delayed by about six months.
On the 24th, The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing a confidential report it obtained, that the president's statement that Iran's nuclear facilities were completely destroyed appears to be exaggerated based on initial damage assessments.
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) provided an assessment in a five-page classified report indicating that Iran's nuclear program was delayed by less than six months following U.S. airstrikes. The report noted that most of Iran's enriched uranium stock had been moved before the U.S. attack, which resulted in most nuclear materials not being destroyed.
The DIA projected that Iran's nuclear facilities were not damaged as much as some government officials had expected and that Iran could proceed relatively quickly with nuclear weapons production if it decides to control nuclear materials.
CNN also reported the same day, quoting the DIA report and multiple sources, that Iran's enriched uranium stock was not destroyed and centrifuges remained intact, stating that the U.S. had only delayed Iran's nuclear program by a few months at most. The damage from the airstrikes was limited to the above-ground structures of the nuclear facilities.
However, anonymous officials told NYT that "the electrical system at Fordow was severely damaged, and it is unclear how long it will take to access the underground facility buried deep in the mountains to repair the system and reinstall the moved equipment."
The White House immediately pushed back. White House Spokesperson Caroline noted that the report was a clear attempt to belittle "Trump and the brave fighter pilots who carried out the mission to destroy Iran's nuclear program," adding that "everyone knows that there was complete destruction involving 14 bombs weighing 30,000 pounds (bunker busters)."