E-Paper
Trump grapples for upper hand in debate over damage caused by US strikes on Iran
Trump's statement defending the US strikes comes after he told reporters ahead of the NATO Summit that intelligence regarding the strikes are “inconclusive.”
US President Donald Trump has once again changed his statement regarding the damage done to the Iranian nuclear programme. On Thursday, the US president took to social media and once again dismissed the leaked Pentagon assessment as fake news.
The US president added that the "great American pilots" who flew the bombers to strike Iran are "very upset."
"After 36 hours of dangerously flying through Enemy Territory, they landed, they knew the Success was LEGENDARY, and then, two days later, they started reading Fake News by CNN and The Failing New York Times," he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump's statement defending the US strikes comes after he told reporters ahead of the NATO Summit in the Netherlands that the intelligence regarding the strikes are “inconclusive.”
As doubts remain about US' damage done to the Iranian nuclear programme, Trump added that a press conference will be held by Defence secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon.
Trump reverts “inconclusive” claims
Trump has claimed "total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear programme from day one. However, speaking to reporters at the NATO Summit, Trump and Hegseth admitted that the damage needs to be assessed.
As both US leaders continued to dismiss the "fake news" report, Trump told reporters that "intelligence is inconclusive."
"The intelligence was very inconclusive. The intelligence says we don’t know. It could’ve been very severe. That’s what the intelligence suggests," said Trump, introducing a level of uncertainty for the first time in four days.
However, his Truth Social post a few hours later has once again backed his original claim of “total obliteration” and that the Iranian nuclear programme has been set back by decades.
Doubts escalate about damage done to Iran
The leaked Pentagon report has claimed that the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, especially Fordow, have set back the country's nuclear programme by may “ a few months.”
The intelligence report disputed Trump's claim that the US had caused severe damage to Iran and its nuclear programme.
After the US strike on Iran, several Iranian officials had stated that the attack had not done much damage to its nuclear programme. State media TV further reported that Iran had already moved its uranium stockpile from the plants in anticipation of an attack, which the Pentagon report also confirmed.
Also Read: Did US strikes do any major damage to Iran nuclear sites? Trump's obliteration claims under dispute
Meanwhile, Israel has also claimed it has left the Iranian programme “in total ruins”. However, Tel Aviv has added that the actual damage done to the nuclear plants and programme is “yet to be assessed.”
