Citing five current and former U.S. officials familiar with the latest assessment, NBC News reported Thursday that Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment site was mostly destroyed in the U.S. military operation, while two others — Isfahan and Natanz — may have only been set back by months and could resume operations.
The Pentagon pushed back on this report.
“The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.
"President Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated," he added. "There's no doubt about that."
The White House also pushed back on the latest NBC News report.
Reports first surfaced last month, shortly after the U.S. launched its surprise attacks on Tehran’s nuclear sites, that U.S. intelligence officials at the Defense Department found that the attacks did not destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
The president and his allies forcefully pushed back on that assessment.
NBC News reported that American and Israeli leaders have since discussed whether additional strikes on two less-damaged facilities could be necessary if Iran does not restart negotiations on a nuclear deal.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
