June 27, 2025
The hostilities began on June 13 when Israel launched strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran was close to developing a nuclear bomb – which has been denied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and US intelligence.
The US joined the campaign on June 22, striking several nuclear facilities. A ceasefire brokered by Washington came into effect on Tuesday and has so far been upheld.
US President Donald Trump has said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. However, US intelligence assessments and international watchdogs reportedly suggest that while the facilities were damaged, Iran’s capability to resume its nuclear program remains.
US officials said intelligence assessments on the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile are inconsistent, with differing views among Iranian officials contributing to the uncertainty, according to the outlet.
Parts of the Natanz nuclear facility, where some of the uranium was believed to be stored, were damaged but not destroyed in the US and Israeli airstrikes, the report said, citing US officials.
Due to limited access and conflicting assessments, the US intelligence community has not reached a firm conclusion about how much of the material Iran has retained, people familiar with the findings told the NYT.
Following a classified Senate briefing on Thursday, several Republican lawmakers stressed that destroying or seizing the stockpile was not an objective of the strikes.
“I didn’t want people to think the problem is over, because it’s not,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters, noting that the nuclear sites were significantly damaged.
There is also uncertainty over the original location of Iran’s uranium stockpile. Trump said it was at Fordow, while others pointed to Natanz. The IAEA reported that most of it was stored at Isfahan, where Iran operates reactors and nuclear facilities. Some experts believe the stockpile was dispersed across multiple sites.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iranian officials told inspectors they would relocate the material if it was threatened. The uranium was stored in containers small enough to fit “into the trunk of an ordinary car,” he added.
In the days leading up to the US missile strike on Isfahan, surveillance reportedly shows vehicles moving items into or out of the labs.
Grossi said this week he believes much of the uranium remains in Iran’s hands. “I don’t know if they moved all of it,” he said. “But the evidence points to their moving out a lot of it.”
While the Trump administration has maintained that the targets in Iran were “obliterated,” CNN and several other news outlets on Tuesday cited a preliminary military intelligence assessment indicating only moderate damage to the facilities, despite the reported use of bunker buster bombs.
”The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the PERFECT FLIGHT to the Nuclear Sites in Iran. They should be prosecuted!” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused “the propaganda media” of attempting to undermine the president by publishing “illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments.” Trump accused media outlets of spreading “fake news” about what he considers a major security success.
According to Axios, the White House believes the document — produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency approximately 24 hours after the airstrikes — was leaked by individuals in Congress. The administration had shared the assessment with lawmakers late Monday using a secure system known as CAPNET, sources said.
”Go figure: Almost as soon as we put the information on CAPNET, it leaks,” an administration source told Axios.
”The intelligence community is figuring out how to tighten up their processes so we don’t have ‘Deep State’ actors leaking parts of intel analysis that have ‘low confidence’ to the media,” a senior White House official said, referencing how the agency labeled its conclusions. The White House reportedly intends to reduce intelligence-sharing with the legislative branch.
Several Democratic lawmakers have criticized Trump for failing to notify them about the operation in advance. The White House postponed a classified after-action Congress briefing originally set for Tuesday. The session was held Thursday, led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Intelligence reports differ as
the IAEA says the fuel could have been moved before the attacks, the outlet
says
US intelligence officials are
divided over the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile following recent US
and Israeli airstrikes on key nuclear facilities, the New York Times reported
on Thursday.
The hostilities began on June 13 when Israel launched strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran was close to developing a nuclear bomb – which has been denied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and US intelligence.
The US joined the campaign on June 22, striking several nuclear facilities. A ceasefire brokered by Washington came into effect on Tuesday and has so far been upheld.
US President Donald Trump has said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. However, US intelligence assessments and international watchdogs reportedly suggest that while the facilities were damaged, Iran’s capability to resume its nuclear program remains.
US officials said intelligence assessments on the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile are inconsistent, with differing views among Iranian officials contributing to the uncertainty, according to the outlet.
Parts of the Natanz nuclear facility, where some of the uranium was believed to be stored, were damaged but not destroyed in the US and Israeli airstrikes, the report said, citing US officials.
Due to limited access and conflicting assessments, the US intelligence community has not reached a firm conclusion about how much of the material Iran has retained, people familiar with the findings told the NYT.
Following a classified Senate briefing on Thursday, several Republican lawmakers stressed that destroying or seizing the stockpile was not an objective of the strikes.
“I didn’t want people to think the problem is over, because it’s not,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters, noting that the nuclear sites were significantly damaged.
There is also uncertainty over the original location of Iran’s uranium stockpile. Trump said it was at Fordow, while others pointed to Natanz. The IAEA reported that most of it was stored at Isfahan, where Iran operates reactors and nuclear facilities. Some experts believe the stockpile was dispersed across multiple sites.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iranian officials told inspectors they would relocate the material if it was threatened. The uranium was stored in containers small enough to fit “into the trunk of an ordinary car,” he added.
In the days leading up to the US missile strike on Isfahan, surveillance reportedly shows vehicles moving items into or out of the labs.
Grossi said this week he believes much of the uranium remains in Iran’s hands. “I don’t know if they moved all of it,” he said. “But the evidence points to their moving out a lot of it.”
The White House has accused the
opposition of selective disclosure of a classified document for political gain
US President Donald Trump has
called for the prosecution of members of the opposition he holds responsible
for the leak of classified information about recent US attacks on Iran. The
Pentagon struck three of Tehran's nuclear facilities last week, building on
Israeli attacks earlier this month.While the Trump administration has maintained that the targets in Iran were “obliterated,” CNN and several other news outlets on Tuesday cited a preliminary military intelligence assessment indicating only moderate damage to the facilities, despite the reported use of bunker buster bombs.
”The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the PERFECT FLIGHT to the Nuclear Sites in Iran. They should be prosecuted!” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused “the propaganda media” of attempting to undermine the president by publishing “illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments.” Trump accused media outlets of spreading “fake news” about what he considers a major security success.
According to Axios, the White House believes the document — produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency approximately 24 hours after the airstrikes — was leaked by individuals in Congress. The administration had shared the assessment with lawmakers late Monday using a secure system known as CAPNET, sources said.
”Go figure: Almost as soon as we put the information on CAPNET, it leaks,” an administration source told Axios.
”The intelligence community is figuring out how to tighten up their processes so we don’t have ‘Deep State’ actors leaking parts of intel analysis that have ‘low confidence’ to the media,” a senior White House official said, referencing how the agency labeled its conclusions. The White House reportedly intends to reduce intelligence-sharing with the legislative branch.
Several Democratic lawmakers have criticized Trump for failing to notify them about the operation in advance. The White House postponed a classified after-action Congress briefing originally set for Tuesday. The session was held Thursday, led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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