President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that U.S. strikes delivered a crushing blow to Iran's nuclear program despite a preliminary American intelligence assessment suggesting that the assault inflicted only a marginal setback.
"This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop," Trump said as his administration deployed a phalanx of top officials to defend his claims that Iran's nuclear program was "completely and fully obliterated."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the leaked intelligence assessment , which said Iran suffered a delay of only a few months, was "preliminary" and "low confidence." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the officials who disclosed the findings are "professional stabbers."
The White House pointed to a statement from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission that said Iran faced a setback of "many years."
Drawing reliable conclusions about the impact of the U.S. strikes is difficult, making the issue a breeding ground for competing claims that could determine how American voters view Trump's risky decision to join Israel's attacks on Iran.