IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Efi Dufferin announced Wednesday that a ceasefire with Iran had taken effect, marking the conclusion of a long-planned military operation that, according to Israeli officials, met all its objectives.
“Yesterday, a ceasefire with Iran began, after all the objectives were achieved,” Dufferin stated. “This was an operation years in the making. Recognizing we had reached a point of no return, we accelerated the plans. We achieved significant operational successes, with full coordination across all branches and divisions.”
He emphasized that it was too soon to fully assess the impact of the campaign: “The achievements of this operation will be discussed for years. But even now, we remain on high alert. Our mission is not yet complete—we will continue to act to secure our future.”
But while Israel’s official spokesman hesitated to suggest that the attacks of the past 12 days completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear program, President Donald Trump vehemently insisted this was the case, and the recent U.S. Airforce strikes had “completely destroyed” Iran’s nuclear facilities – even as a leaked assessment from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) casts doubt on the extent of the damage.
According to the classified DIA report, the strikes may have only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by “a few months.” The discrepancy between the president’s statement and the intelligence estimate is fueling debate inside Washington and among U.S. allies about the operation’s actual effectiveness and long-term impact.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the much-praised architect of the 12-day war, adamantly sided with President Trump’s version.
He told the nation in a reassuring speech Tuesday night: “We destroyed the main enrichment facility in Natanz, the uranium conversion plant in Isfahan, and the heavy water installation in Arak. Our friend, President Trump, stood alongside us in an unprecedented manner. On his order, the US military destroyed the enrichment facility deep underground at Fordow.”
A preliminary classified U.S. assessment has found that the American airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites delayed Tehran’s nuclear program by only a few months, according to officials familiar with the findings.
The report, compiled (and probably leaked) by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), concluded that while the strikes sealed off entrances to two of the targeted facilities, they failed to destroy the underground structures themselves.
To put it bluntly, if before the operation, U.S. intelligence estimated that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon within three months, following the joint American strike and days of Israeli Air Force bombardment, the DIA now estimates the program has been set back by less than six months.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pushed back against the leaked U.S. intelligence assessments suggesting the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities failed to destroy key components of the program.
“Nobody knows what exactly has been damaged, and it will take some time,” Smotrich told Kan 11 Radio on Wednesday. He maintained that the coordinated Israeli and American actions had dealt a significant blow to Iran’s capabilities, saying they had “taken them many years back.”
According to The New York Times, the initial U.S. damage assessment casts doubt on President Trump’s assertion that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “obliterated.” The preliminary findings suggest that while the strikes inflicted some damage, key components of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remain intact.
Since the operation, Trump has reportedly expressed frustration to advisers over media reports questioning the effectiveness of the bombing campaign.
Despite the skepticism, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s confidence on Tuesday. “Based on everything we have seen — and I’ve seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons,” Hegseth stated. “Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target and worked perfectly.”
Speaking on Tuesday, Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI), confirmed that assessments are underway at the nuclear sites targeted in recent airstrikes. He stated that the AEOI had taken all necessary precautions and is actively evaluating the extent of the damage.
Eslami emphasized that Iran had prepared in advance for such attacks and had implemented contingency plans to ensure continuity. “We have made arrangements to restore nuclear activities without interruption,” he said, underscoring that production and services in Iran’s nuclear industry would continue without significant delay.
So, there you have it, everybody could be right. President Trump’s B-2s indeed obliterated those three nuclear sites, but the stuff wasn’t there. It is kept in a bunker in suburban Tehran, covered by Ali Khamenei’s prayer rug.
