Utter confusion remains over exact nature of damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities

It has been almost one week since US bombers conducted “Operation Midnight Hammer” against Iran and its nuclear development sites.

- BY ASAD MIRZA

However, it is still not clear whether Iran’s’ capabilities have been damaged; if yes, then to what extent? Further, it also puzzles one with Iran's obsession with continuing a nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the US attack on Iran obliterated its nuclear program and prompted the ceasefire. However, a US official briefed on the Defence Intelligence Agency's initial assessment told USA TODAY the core components of Iran's nuclear program appeared to remain intact.

An outraged Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday (June 26) countered by calling the bombings a “resounding success” and accusing some media outlets of “trying to make the president look bad.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei maintained that the bombings “failed to achieve anything significant,” forcing Israel and the US to abandon their attacks. “They could not accomplish anything,” he said. “They failed to achieve their goal. They exaggerate to conceal and suppress the truth.”

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), took a middle path, saying the Iranian program suffered “enormous damage.” He said three primary sites - Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan ~ were hit hard but that other locations were not affected at all. The nuclear program can be rebuilt, he said, but he declined to put a timeline on it.