WASHINGTON, June 25. /TASS/. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said US strikes definitely took away Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons.
"Based on everything we have seen - and I’ve seen it all - our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons. Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target - and worked perfectly. The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the president and the successful mission," he said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump posted the statement on his Truth Social account.
CNN reported earlier, citing sources, that the US intelligence community and some Israeli officials believe the US strikes failed to achieve a complete destruction of key components of Tehran’s nuclear program. The White House dismissed the assessment as inaccurate.
In the small hours of June 13, Israel started a military operation against Iran, and Tehran retaliated less than 24 hours later. The US entered the fray on the morning of June 22, with its aircraft attacking three Iranian nuclear sites. The following evening, Tehran launched missiles toward Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US air force base in the Middle East. According to the US, there were no casualties or significant damage.