CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed Wednesday that several of Iran’s key nuclear facilities were “destroyed” in recent U.S. strikes, directly contradicting reports from legacy media outlets claiming the operation merely delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“The CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s nuclear program has been severely damaged,” Ratcliffe said in a public statement. “This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source indicating that several key nuclear facilities were destroyed and would require years to rebuild.”
Ratcliffe’s statement was released after media outlets such as The New York Times ran stories attempting to downplay the effectiveness of the U.S. strikes. The reports claimed the Trump administration had exaggerated the operation’s success — a narrative the administration and allied intelligence officials are now aggressively pushing back against.
President Donald Trump, speaking from the NATO summit, has maintained from the outset that the Iranian sites were “obliterated.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office echoed that assessment, stating the strikes had “set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.”
Iran’s own foreign ministry spokesman admitted that “our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also released a statement on Wednesday confirming the CIA’s conclusions. “New intelligence shows that Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed,” she said. “If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities — Natanz, Fordo, Esfahan — from the ground up.”
Gabbard blasted the media for selectively leaking classified assessments and deliberately leaving out key context. “This is the same tactic they used during the Russia hoax and impeachment hysteria,” she added. “They are trying to undercut President Trump’s leadership and diminish the historic success of Operation Midnight Hammer.”
Ratcliffe emphasized that the CIA is continuing to gather intelligence and will provide updates to both oversight bodies and the public “given the national importance of this matter.”
Despite the political spin from corporate outlets, U.S. and Israeli officials — and even the Iranian regime — appear to agree: the strikes did real, long-term damage.