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Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff called for an investigation into a leaked preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment that claimed President Donald Trump‘s strikes on Iran did not destroy three targeted nuclear sites.
CNN, citing people familiar with the assessment, reported that the early consensus within the Defense Intelligence Agency is that the strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan didn’t destroy key components of Iran’s nuclear program nor destroy its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The outlet also reported that the strike likely only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months, not years, as touted by the Trump administration.
“Well, it goes without saying that leaking that type of information — whatever the information, whatever side it comes out on — is outrageous. It’s treasonous,” Witkoff said Tuesday on “The Ingraham Angle.”
“So, it ought to be investigated, and whoever did it — whoever’s responsible for it — should be held accountable. It could hurt lives in the future. Leaking is a completely unacceptable thing.”
TRUMP ANNOUNCES HISTORIC IRAN AND ISRAEL CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT TO END ‘12-DAY WAR’
The United States struck Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites Saturday evening as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, dropping 12 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Fordow and two on Natanz.
More than two dozen Tomahawk missiles were also launched at Isfahan from a U.S. submarine.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Sunday that initial assessments indicate that all three sites “sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.” He noted that the final battle damage will take some time to evaluate.
“Based on everything we have seen — and I’ve seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons. Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target — and worked perfectly,” said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a statement in response to CNN’s reporting.
“The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission.”
Trump said the United States “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program following the strikes. The mission involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, including B-2 stealth bombers, dozens of air refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and more.
Witkoff told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that he believes the conversion facility at Isfahan was “completely destroyed.”
IRAN’S FORDOW NUCLEAR SITE STRUCK SECOND TIME AS IDF TARGETS ACCESS ROUTES
The New York real estate developer added that the below-ground nuclear reactor at Natanz was “eviscerated” and the above-ground nuclear reactor was substantially damaged by the Israelis.
Witkoff said the United States dropped another bomb on top of it to make sure that it, too, was “eviscerated.”
“We know for a fact it was,” he told Ingraham.
“Fordow is the last enrichment reactor that was operating there, and we put 12 bunker-buster bombs on Fordow. There’s no doubt that it breached the canopy. There’s no doubt that it was well within reach of the depth that these bunker-buster bombs go to, and there’s no doubt that it was obliterated. So the reporting out there that in some ways suggests that we did not achieve the objective is just completely preposterous.”
Lawmakers are expected to receive a classified briefing Thursday on the U.S. strikes.
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