Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more
U.S. intelligence assessments suggest that President Donald Trump’s war in Iran has done little to slow the country’s nuclear capabilities, according to a report.
Ensuring that Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon was one of the key objectives laid out by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the beginning of the war, which started on February 28.
Two months on, Tehran’s nuclear program remains broadly unchanged since last year’s U.S. attack, according to Reuters news agency, citing intelligence sources familiar with the matter.
The Trump administration’s Operation Midnight Hammer campaign in June 2025 pushed the timeline of the country’s nuclear capabilities back by nine months to a year, and it remains broadly unchanged now as the U.S. military has largely avoided striking nuclear targets this time, according to Reuters.
Before last year’s 12-day war, U.S. intelligence agencies estimated that Iran could produce enough bomb-grade uranium to build a bomb in around three to six months, according to the outlet.
open image in gallery U.S. intelligence assessments suggest that President Donald Trump’s war in Iran has done little to slow the country’s nuclear capabilities, according to a report ( Getty Images )
Hegseth was asked whether the intelligence assessment was “wrong” at a Pentagon press conference Tuesday and dismissed the report as “speculation.”
“We don’t discuss the specifics about intel… I can’t confirm or deny whether that is correct,” Hegseth said, and touted Operation Midnight Hammer for essentially “setting back” Iran’s nuclear program.
The White House issued a similar statement in response to the report.
“While Operation Midnight Hammer obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities, Operation Epic Fury built on this success by decimating Iran’s defense industrial base that they once leveraged as a protective shield around their pursuit of a nuclear weapon,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Reuters.
open image in gallery Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked whether the intelligence assessment was ‘wrong’ at a Pentagon press conference Tuesday and dismissed the report as ‘speculation’ ( Reuters )
Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, told the Senate on March 18 there was no evidence that Iran had tried to rebuild the bombed facilities before Trump ordered fresh strikes in February.
Last week, during nine hours of congressional testimony, Hegseth told lawmakers that despite Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran “had not given up their nuclear ambitions.”
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told Hegseth that the war has “left us at exactly the same place we were before.”
“We had to start this war, you just said 60 days ago, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat,” Smith said. “Now you’re saying that it was completely obliterated?”