Washington, Jun 26: CIA Director John Ratcliffe has asserted that the agency had gathered "a body of credible evidence" suggesting that Iran's nuclear infrastructure suffered extensive damage in recent US airstrikes, reinforcing the White House's narrative that Tehran's atomic ambitions have been drastically curtailed.

Ratcliffe, without divulging specifics, issued a statement on Wednesday (local time), stating that the intelligence came from "a historically reliable source/method" and indicated that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years." While Ratcliffe did not clarify whether his remarks represented a formal agency assessment or his personal interpretation of the data, the statement underscored the intelligence community's ongoing review of the impact of Saturday's coordinated US strikes on Iran's Natanz, Fordow, and Esfahan sites.

The CIA's remarks came as a counterpoint to an earlier preliminary analysis by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which suggested that the airstrikes had not completely destroyed crucial components of Iran's nuclear program.

According to the DIA, Iran's nuclear capabilities may have been delayed by only a few months, raising questions about the long-term effectiveness of the military operation.

The White House dismissed that view, calling it "wrong" and affirming that US President Donald Trump's assertion -- that the strikes had "obliterated" Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon -- remained accurate.

Adding further weight to the administration's claims, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted on X that "new intelligence confirms what the US President has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed."

Gabbard claimed that if Iran attempted to rebuild its program, it would have to reconstruct all three targeted facilities from scratch -- a process she suggested would take years.

In the midst of the conflicting assessments, President Trump announced that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials would address the media at 8:00 a.m. (local time) Thursday to brief the public on the operation's outcome and highlight the contributions of US pilots involved in the high-risk mission.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump accused media outlets of undermining the mission's success, stating, "Secretary of Defense (War!) Pete Hegseth, together with Military Representatives, will be holding a Major News Conference tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. EST at The Pentagon, in order to fight for the dignity of our Great American Pilots. These patriots were 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."

"They felt terribly! Fortunately for them and, as usual, solely for the purpose of demeaning President Donald J. Trump, the Fake News (Times and CNN) lied and totally misrepresented the Facts, none of which they had (because it was too soon, there were no Facts out there yet!). The News Conference will prove both interesting and irrefutable. Enjoy!"

(IANS)

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