Core components of Tehran’s nuclear effort were damaged but not destroyed by U.S. airstrikes on three key facilities, according to three people familiar with a Defense Intelligence Agency initial assessment.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Witkoff: US, Iran seeking ‘peace deal,’ strikes set Tehran’s nuke program back years
The Trump envoy said the American position is that Iran must not resume enriching uranium at all — a position that the White House vacillated on during previous talks with Iran, led by Witkoff, over the two months prior to Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs that began earlier this month.
Witkoff also doubled down on the administration’s assessment that the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo completely eliminated the Islamic Republic’s ability to attain a nuclear weapon in the near future. He said the program had been set back years, and lashed out against a leaked security assessment that said the strikes did not destroy the underground sites.
“The reporting out there that in some ways suggests that we did not achieve the objective is just completely preposterous,” he said, calling it “not even conceivable” that Iran would be able to reach a nuclear weapon within months.
Concern among NY Jews: Pro-Palestinian Zohran Mamdani wins Democratic primary for mayor
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/410618
Anti-Israel candidate Zohran Mamdani shocks Andrew Cuomo in NYC Democratic mayoral primary focused on Jewish issues, arousing concern among the city's Jewish population.
Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, sources say
The US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment that was described by seven people briefed on it.
The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, one of the sources said.
American strikes only set Iran’s nuclear program back by months — US intel report
Preliminary assessment says uranium stocks not destroyed, some centrifuges still intact; former UN inspector warns Tehran still has ‘ability to break out and produce weapon-grade uranium’
White House Reacts After Intel Assessment Contradicts Trump on Iran Strikes
The White House issued a scathing statement after CNN, The New York Times and other media outlets reported that an early assessment by U.S. intelligence said military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend failed to destroy key elements of Iran's nuclear program.
The assessment also found that the strikes only set Iran's nuclear program back by a few months, contradicting President Donald Trump's claim that the strikes "obliterated" the nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, an early Israeli intelligence assessment determined that the U.S.'s strikes set Iran's nuclear capabilities back by "several years," according to The Times of Israel. The reported assessment came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that "we sent Iran's nuclear program down the drain."
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Amid Trump criticism: Israel limits Iran response to symbolic strike
Following sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, Israel delivered merely a symbolic military response to Iran's Tuesday morning ceasefire violation, restricting its retaliation to a single radar strike north of Tehran after the American leader intervened to prevent a broader attack.
"Israel, don't drop those bombs," Trump declared. "If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!" The president had earlier told White House reporters that "Israel and Iran have been fighting for so long they don't know what the f*** they're doing."
Sources familiar with the situation revealed that Trump received updates throughout the night, confirming Iran had breached the ceasefire first. "Despite his harsh public criticism of Israel, the Israeli Air Force response will still proceed, with Trump containing and possibly supporting it."
Trump Says Israel Turning Jets Around: 'Friendly Plane Wave to Iran'
President Donald Trump said Israeli jets had turned back from their planned strikes on Iran and that a ceasefire remains in effect.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his air force struck a radar station near Tehran but, after speaking with Trump, refrained from carrying out further attacks
Trump sharply criticized Israel for preparing a heavy retaliation against a ceasefire violation by Iran that he said involved a single rocket missing its target.
"ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran," Trump posted to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday morning. "All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!"
In foul-mouthed tirade, Trump savages Israel for striking Iran, says it violated ceasefire
In a rare if not unprecedented public display of frustration with Israel by a US president, Donald Trump expressed in no uncertain terms on Tuesday that he was furious at Israel as the ceasefire he announced overnight threatened to unravel.
“I’m not happy that Israel’s going out now,” he told reporters, as Israeli jets were responding to Iranian missile strikes earlier in the day.
“There was one rocket that I guess was fired overboard [by Iran]. It was after the time limit, and it missed its target. And now Israel’s going out. These guys gotta calm down. Ridiculous…”
Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran with profanity for breaking ceasefire
President Donald Trump expressed deep frustration with both Israel and Iran on Tuesday, saying the two countries "don't know what the **** they're doing."
Trump made the comments while departing from the White House for a NATO summit Tuesday morning. Both Israel and Iran fired missiles at one another following the imposition of a ceasefire on Monday night.
"I'm not happy with Israel. You know, when I say, okay, now you have 12 hours, you don't go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So I'm not happy with them. I'm not happy with Iran either, but I'm really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning," Trump said.
He continued, "We basically have two countries that have been fighting for so long and so hard that they don't know what the **** they're doing."
'I'm not happy with Israel' | Trump lashes out, warns Israel not to respond to violation
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/410574
President Donald Trump lashed out at Israel on Tuesday after Iran broke the ceasefire he brokered between the two countries.
According to the President, "Israel unloaded a lot, and now I just heard that Israel went out because they felt it (the ceasefire) was violated by one rocket that didn't land anywhere. That's not what we want, I tell you that."
While speaking with the press before leaving for the NATO summit, Trump expressed his frustrations, stating: "I'm not happy with Israel either."
He added: "I gotta get Israel to calm down now."
The President claimed that both Israel and Iran violated the ceasefire, but noted: "I don't think they did it intentionally, they couldn't bring people back.
He reiterated his anger with Israel's intention to retaliate against the violation and said he would try to stop it.
Trump pushes for quick end to Iran-Israel conflict amid fragile ceasefire
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be in jeapordy early Tuesday, hours after both countries said they agreed to terms outlined by President Trump to halt their 12-day war.
Trump has pushed for a quick end to the Middle East conflict, signaling a desire to move on after the U.S. carried out bombings of Iran nuclear sites over the weekend and Iran retaliated by hitting a U.S. base in Qatar.
Israel’s military said early Tuesday it detected another Iranian barrage hours after the start of the ceasefire — underscoring the dangerous state of what the president predicted would be a pause in fighting “forever.”
The acceptance of a U.S.-brokered deal by both sides came after Iran’s military denied launching a final onslaught of missiles targeting Israel, which Israel said killed at least four people early Tuesday morning. Israel launched a blitz of airstrikes targeting sites across Iran before dawn, The Associated Press reported.
IDF symbolically strikes in Tehran after Trump orders Netanyahu to turn planes around
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-858826
Explosions were heard in northern Tehran after US President Donald Trump called for all Israeli fighter jets to leave Iran's airspace.
IDF sources have confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the air force did in fact strike one radar north of Tehran. A symbolic strike to straddle the need to respond to Iran's attack on the North, while respecting Trump's demand to do nothing or at most respond symbolically.
Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered strikes in Tehran after Iran launched two missiles at northern Israel, hours after the ceasefire had taken effect.
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