CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that a “credible body of intelligence” indicates Iran’s nuclear program has been “heavily damaged” by recent attacks.
“This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method, showing that several key nuclear sites in Iran were destroyed and would take years to rebuild,” Ratcliffe said in a statement on X.
His remarks follow a leaked U.S. intelligence report suggesting the strikes only delayed Iran’s nuclear capabilities by a few months and did not destroy core components.
Former President Donald Trump pushed back against that assessment, insisting the U.S. had “wiped out” the facilities and pushed Iran’s program “decades back.”
Trump’s former Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, claimed the leak was politically motivated.
