Top intelligence officials in the Trump administration are publicly disputing early claims that U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had only limited impact. Both CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard backed up the president’s assertions that the sites were heavily damaged or even destroyed.
In a statement posted to social media, Ratcliffe emphasized that recent intelligence gathered from what he described as “a historically reliable and accurate source” pointed to extensive destruction. “Several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and will likely need to be rebuilt over several years,” the CIA chief wrote, adding that intelligence teams are still compiling additional details.
Though neither Ratcliffe nor Gabbard elaborated on when the information was obtained or what specifically was targeted, a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed that the material cited came from U.S. sources.
This marks a rare public move by the intelligence community to weigh in directly and forcefully, countering an earlier leak from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) that suggested the strikes may have set Iran’s nuclear program back by only a few months. That preliminary assessment, which appeared in reports from CNN and The New York Times, fueled political tension in Washington and frustrated the White House.
DIA later clarified that its findings were early-stage and based solely on satellite imagery, not physical inspections. “It is a low-confidence, initial assessment. We expect it to evolve as we collect more information,” the agency said.
The leak itself sparked outrage inside the administration. President Trump lashed out at CNN, accusing one of the reporters involved of undermining national security and calling for disciplinary action. Gabbard echoed the criticism, referring to “propaganda media” in her own statement.
Meanwhile, other senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a NATO summit press conference to double down on the president’s narrative. Hegseth dismissed media skepticism, saying, “Anyone downplaying the mission’s success is simply trying to discredit the president.”
The Pentagon, along with the FBI, has launched an investigation into the source of the leak. Officials are reportedly exploring how the classified DIA memo was released so soon after the airstrikes.
Support also came from abroad. Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission issued a rare public statement Wednesday, asserting that the joint U.S.-Israeli operation significantly delayed Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons potentially for many years.
Despite the declarations of success, some analysts urged caution. Daniel Shapiro, a former senior defense official, warned that it typically takes weeks to reach a conclusive intelligence judgment after such operations. “It’s likely they did substantial damage,” he said, “but we need more time and data to be sure.”
President Trump suggested that more information would be released soon. In a Truth Social post Wednesday night, he said Hegseth would deliver a “major news conference” Thursday morning that would offer “interesting and irrefutable” proof of the strike’s success.
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