Daijiworld Media Network- Washington
Washington, Jun 26: In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing confrontation between the United States and Iran, CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday asserted that recent US airstrikes have inflicted "extensive and lasting" damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure, bolstering the White House's firm stance on Tehran’s atomic threat.
Speaking through an official statement, Ratcliffe disclosed that the CIA had obtained "a body of credible evidence" from historically reliable sources suggesting that Iran’s critical nuclear sites at Natanz, Fordow, and Esfahan had been severely damaged during Saturday’s coordinated strike operation.
Though Ratcliffe refrained from detailing the precise extent of destruction or classifying his remarks as an official agency assessment, he hinted that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would need to be rebuilt from scratch—a process expected to take years."
The CIA’s assertion comes in stark contrast to an earlier evaluation by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which had suggested that the strikes merely delayed Iran’s nuclear development by a few months, leaving several core components intact. The DIA’s cautious tone has fueled debate over the true impact of the strikes.
Brushing aside the DIA’s assessment, the White House reiterated President Donald Trump’s assertion that Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been "obliterated." National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard added fuel to the administration’s position, posting on X that “new intelligence confirms” the facilities were fully destroyed, and any reconstruction would take “years of effort.”
Meanwhile, President Trump lashed out at media reports that questioned the operation’s success, accusing CNN and The New York Times of spreading “Fake News.” In a fiery post on Truth Social, the former president praised American pilots for their courage and confirmed that a major press briefing would be held Thursday morning by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and top Pentagon officials to provide “irrefutable” proof of the mission’s effectiveness.
“The dignity of our great American pilots must be respected,” Trump wrote. “They risked everything in a dangerous mission that succeeded brilliantly—only to be met with lies and misinformation.”
The escalating rhetoric from Washington arrives amid heightened global concern over nuclear security and rising tensions in the Gulf region. Analysts now await the Pentagon’s upcoming media address to gain clarity on the conflicting intelligence and understand the long-term implications of the high-stakes military maneuver.