President Donald Trump criticized the media for reporting on a leaked intelligence assessment that found U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program set it back by only a few months.
The initial assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency stated that while the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites were damaged, they were not completely destroyed.
"Since then, we've collected additional intelligence — we've also spoken to people who have seen the site, and the site, the site is obliterated," President Trump said during a press conference at the NATO Summit in the Netherlands.
President Trump expressed frustration that the reports appeared to downplay the mission’s success and complained they disrespected the U.S. servicemembers who carried out the operation, which he emphasized took place under extremely dark conditions.
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"It was virtually moonless. It was very dark. And they hit," President Trump said.
The president said he did not believe Iran was able to move the uranium that was believed to be stored at the targeted nuclear facilities.
"We think we got it. We think it's covered with granite, concrete and steel," he said.
President Trump also cited a report from the Atomic Energy Commission that stated: “The devastating U.S. strike on Fordo destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable. We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program, have set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.”
President Trump also said he believes the conflict between Israel and Iran has come to an end because of the U.S. strikes.
“I think the war ended, actually, when we hit the various nuclear sites with the planes,” he said.
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