{"id":70559,"date":"2025-06-26T13:49:49","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T13:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/06\/26\/hegseth-defends-iran-strike-after-initial-report-doubted-its-effect\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:24:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:24:32","slug":"hegseth-defends-iran-strike-after-initial-report-doubted-its-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2025\/06\/26\/hegseth-defends-iran-strike-after-initial-report-doubted-its-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth defends Iran strike after initial report doubted its effect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that the bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran likely caused \u201csevere damage\u201d just days after reports emerged that the military\u2019s intelligence arm assessed Tehran\u2019s program had only been set back months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a combative press conference Thursday, Hegseth didn\u2019t deny the findings of that report, instead arguing that its assessments were \u201cpreliminary\u201d and \u201clow-confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis was an historically successful attack,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, CNN and multiple other outlets reported on an assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency that the bombing set back Iran\u2019s nuclear program by only months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reports noted that any assessments were still early and difficult to judge given that the bulk of each facility is far underground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alongside Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine gave a technical presentation on the massive ordnance penetrator \u2014 the 30,000-pound bomb used to hit the sites \u2014 and the ventilation shafts targeted themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe weapons all guided to their intended targets and to their intended aim points,\u201d he said, also noting they exploded as planned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Hegseth and Caine lauded the technical success of the mission, from the bombers who entered the airspace to the analysts who helped design the weapons. But they wouldn\u2019t comment directly on why the administration was now so confident that Iran\u2019s nuclear program was now \u201cobliterated\u201d despite saying the initial assessment was premature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth pointed to external intelligence sources \u2014 from the Israeli government to the United Nations \u2014 when making his case. He also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cia.gov\/stories\/story\/statement-from-director-john-ratcliffe-about-intelligence-on-irans-nuclear-program\/\" rel=\"\">mentioned a statement<\/a> from CIA Director John Ratcliffe Wednesday night that argued Iran\u2019s nuclear program was \u201cseverely damaged,\u201d relying on \u201cnew intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source\/method.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth also didn\u2019t directly address questions about whether Iran moved highly enriched uranium, critical to a bomb, before the strikes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not aware of any intelligence that I\u2019ve reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump and his Cabinet have attacked the journalists who reported on the initial DIA report. Hegseth opened the Thursday press conference with a similar scolding, criticizing outlets and one reporter by name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The administration also delayed a classified briefing on Iran before Congress from Tuesday to Friday, over the strong objections from Democratic lawmakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was obliteration, and you\u2019ll see that,\u201d Trump said of the strikes at this week\u2019s NATO summit in the Netherlands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caine on Sunday was more measured, saying at a press conference that the attacks caused \u201cextremely severe damage\u201d and arguing that any battle damage assessments were premature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strike itself included more than 125 U.S. aircraft, 75 precision weapons and 14 bunker-busting bombs in a stunning display of U.S. military force. Overall, the operation targeted Iran\u2019s three main nuclear sites: Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, Iran responded with a relatively limited retaliation on a U.S. base in Qatar. No casualties were initially reported, and nearly all the ballistic missiles fired were intercepted, the Pentagon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iran does not yet have the capability to build a nuclear weapon and claims its enrichment program is solely for civilian purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Israel and Iran, who had been trading attacks for almost two weeks, agreed to a ceasefire as of early this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a fiery press conference, the defense secretary attacked media outlets that reported on a U.S. intelligence report about the 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