By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS – Breaking Military News
WASHINGTON, D.C. — (June 24, 2025) — The U.S. military operation hailed by the Trump administration as a decisive blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions may have fallen short, according to a classified intelligence assessment obtained by CNN.
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Despite deploying B-2 bombers and “bunker buster” GBU-57 bombs during Operation Midnight Hammer, early reports suggest Iran’s underground nuclear infrastructure remains largely operational.
Operation Midnight Hammer: Tactical Strike, Strategic Setback?
The classified intel assessment—shared with CNN by three sources familiar with the operation—reveals that the strikes did not eliminate Iran’s uranium stockpile and that key centrifuges remain intact.
“So the [Defense Intelligence Agency] assessment is that the U.S. set them back maybe a few months, tops,” one source told CNN.
White House Pushes Back: “Flat-Out Wrong”
In response, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the intelligence as coming from an “anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” calling CNN’s report “flat-out wrong.”
President Trump has touted the February strikes as a success, claiming they crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But if the leaked intel holds, the damage may be far less severe than projected.
Assessment Ongoing as Tensions Simmer
While the administration maintains its stance, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies continue to review the full extent of damage. The assessment has reignited concerns among defense analysts about the effectiveness of preemptive strikes on hardened targets like Iran’s underground facilities.
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