House shelves effort to impeach Trump

US B-2 bombers hit two Iranian nuclear sites with massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs over the weekend

- Associated Press [e-mail]

WASHINGTON: A classified preliminary US intelligence report has concluded that American strikes on Iran set back Tehran's nuclear programme by just a few months -- rather than destroying it as claimed by President Donald Trump.

US media on Tuesday cited people familiar with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) findings as saying the weekend strikes did not fully eliminate Iran's centrifuges or stockpile of enriched uranium.

The aerial bombardments and missile strikes sealed off entrances to some facilities without destroying underground buildings, according to the report.

US media coverage of the DIA assessment appeared to anger Trump, who insisted news outlets like CNN and The New York Times were out to "demean" the military strike by saying it only set back Iran's nuclear program by a few months.

"THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!" Trump posted in all caps on his Truth Social platform.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the authenticity of the DIA assessment but said it was "flat-out wrong and was classified as 'top secret' but was still leaked" in an attempt to undermine Trump and discredit the military operation.