Trump Clings to ‘Total Obliteration’ of Iran Nuke Despite Intel Doubts/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. ansour/ Morning Edition/ Trump again defended his claim that U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were “total obliteration,” despite an early intelligence assessment indicating the program was set back only by months. He conceded the intelligence was “inconclusive” but highlighted comparisons to Hiroshima. Trump also tied the strikes to progress in Gaza and warned Iran against leaving the Non‑Proliferation Treaty.
Trump Defends “Total Obliteration” Claim: Quick Looks
- Trump’s Assertion: Despite an initial CIA leak, Trump insisted the destruction was total and setbacks were long-term.
- Intel Acknowledged Inconclusive: He admitted the intelligence remains preliminary and unverified.
- Hiroshima Reference: Trump compared his actions to dropping bombs on Japan to end wars.
- Gaza Tie-In: He suggested the strikes could unlock breakthroughs in Israel’s Gaza conflict.
- NPT Warning: Tehran faces the prospect of exiting the Non‑Proliferation Treaty.
- Iran Central Bank Sanctions: Israel branded Iran’s central bank a terrorist financier targeting Quds Force money transfers.
Trump Clings to ‘Total Obliteration’ of Iran Nuke Despite Intel Doubts
Deep Look
Haag, Netherlands — June 25, 2025
President Trump reaffirmed claims that U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities resulted in “total obliteration,” even as he acknowledged intelligence reports remain “inconclusive” and preliminary. A classified intel leak indicated setbacks of only a few months—not the total eradication Trump described.
“The intelligence was very inconclusive,” Trump said at the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Hague. “The intelligence says we don’t know. It could have been very severe.”
“I don’t think they’ll ever do it again,” Trump said of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “They just went through hell. I think they’ve had it. The last thing they want to do is enrich.”
Trump called on two of his subordinates — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — to buffer his assertions about the damage assessments.
Each insisted Iran’s nuclear program had been badly damaged, and each suggested nefarious intentions behind the leak of the report.
“It was a top secret report, it was preliminary, it was low confidence,” Hegseth said of the assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency, saying there was political motives behind leaking it and that an FBI investigation was underway to identify the leaker.
Rubio said Iran was now “way behind where they were just seven days ago.”
“Now, anything in the world can be rebuilt, but now we know where it is, and if they try to rebuild it, we’ll have options there as well,” he said.
A Presidential Rhetoric Reset
Trump did not back down on his bold framing. He lashed out at media coverage as attempts to undermine the success of the operation. Though he admitted the intelligence is still being confirmed, he doubled down on celebrating the strikes as decisive.
“They didn’t have a chance to get anything out, because we acted fast. If it would have taken two weeks, maybe. But it’s very hard to remove that kind of material, very hard and very dangerous for them to remove it,” Trump said. “Plus they knew we were coming, and if they know we’re coming, they’re not going to be down there.”
History as a Game-Changer?
In a striking turn, Trump compared the strikes to America’s use of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, stating both “ended wars” and invoking their justifications as historical precedent.
“I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don’t want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing that ended that war,” Trump said at a NATO summit in the Netherlands.
“This ended that with the war. If we didn’t take that out, they would have been they’d be fighting right now,” he went on.
“This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop. And you know, if it didn’t, they wouldn’t have settled,” Trump said.
“I’m not gonna have to worry about that,” he said. “It’s gone for years, years, very tough to rebuild, because the whole thing has collapsed.”
From Nuclear to Gaza
Trump connected the strikes with ongoing developments in Gaza. He said they sent a strong message of U.S. power and could facilitate progress in the Israel‑Hamas conflict—where over 56,000 have died since October 2023.
“I think great progress is being made on Gaza. Because of the attack that we made, I think we’re going to have some very good news,” he told reporters at the NATO summit on Wednesday.
“I think that it helped a little bit, it showed a lot of power,” he added. “Separately, even before this, we were very close to making a deal on Gaza.”
Nuclear Fallout: Treaty Tensions
Iran’s Foreign Minister has threatened to withdraw from the Non‑Proliferation Treaty in response to the U.S. and Israeli attacks.
Israel’s Financial Tightening
Israel has moved to designate Iran’s central bank and other entities as terrorist organizations—to choke off financing for the Quds Force and IRGC following the strikes.
U.S. Diplomacy in Play
At the NATO summit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the strikes had “set Iran further away” from weaponization—even amid frustration over the intelligence leak. He warned that misrepresentation of the data would erode public support.
“(Iran’s nuclear) program today has been set behind significantly from where it was a week ago. It is in far worse shape today than it was a week ago because of US actions and because some of the actions Israelis took,” Rubio told Politico.
“So, the bottom line is they are much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action,” he said, adding that “very significant, substantial damage” was done to a “variety of different components.”
He added the US is “just learning more about it” as the damage happened “deep underground.”
Rubio emphasized the operation showed strategic clarity—strike decisively, then withdraw. He stressed: “This is not a war with Iran.”
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