The White House has pushed back against US media reports suggesting that the recent US-led bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities caused only limited damage, delaying Tehran's nuclear capabilities by a matter of months.
Citing a classified preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Tuesday, both CNN and The New York Times reported that the strikes sealed off entrances to at least two major nuclear sites but did not collapse their fortified underground sections.
The early findings claim that Iran's nuclear programme was likely delayed by less than six months — an outcome that appears to contradict US President Donald Trump's public statement that the strikes had "obliterated" the sites.
Before the attacks, US intelligence agencies had said Iran could potentially develop a basic nuclear device in around three months if it decided to rush its programme.
Following the strikes, the DIA assessment reportedly concluded that timeline may have been pushed back only slightly.
Attempt to 'demean' Trump
"This alleged 'assessment' is flat-out wrong," said Karoline Leavitt, a White House spokesperson.
"It was classified as 'top secret' but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community."
Leavitt added that the leak was "a clear attempt to demean President Trump and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear programme."
She insisted that "everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration."
Officials familiar with the US assessment, however, told The New York Times that much of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium had been moved before the strikes, limiting the operation's impact.
Some of that material may have been relocated to undisclosed sites across the country, they said.
The strikes also targeted Fordow, a deeply-buried facility shielded within a mountain, damaging its electrical systems.
Iran retains 'considerable' capability
But officials said it remains unclear how long it will take Iran to access and repair the site.
Congress was scheduled to be briefed on the DIA report on Tuesday, but the session was postponed.
Lawmakers are now expected to be briefed on Thursday.
The current US intelligence assessment is still considered preliminary, and further evaluations are expected in the coming weeks.
Iran maintains "considerable tactical capability" to target US forces despite being strategically weakened since October 7, a top US military nominee told senators Tuesday.
Navy Vice Adm. Charles Cooper II, nominated to lead US Central Command (CENTCOM), warned that Iran still poses severe threats to American troops worldwide during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing.
"They possess considerable tactical capability, one element of which we saw yesterday," Cooper said, referring to Iran's retaliatory attacks on the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
