US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday that it would take Iran "years" to rebuild the nuclear facilities that were struck by American B2 bombers over the weekend because they have been destroyed.
In a post to X, Gabbard wrote: "New intelligence confirms what POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed. If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do."
She further criticized the reports of media outlets such as CNN and the New York Times of leaks from the executive branch that attempt to downplay the success of the American and Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
"The propaganda media has deployed their usual tactic: selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments (intentionally leaving out the fact that the assessment was written with 'low confidence') to try to undermine President Trump’s decisive leadership and the brave servicemen and women who flawlessly executed a truly historic mission to keep the American people safe and secure," she wrote.
President Trump on Tuesday night rejected reports in CNN and The New York Times, which cited a US intelligence assessment suggesting that the US military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities did not obliterate those facilities.
“Fake news CNN, together with the failing New York Times, have teamed up in an attempt to demean one of the most successful military strikes in history. The nuclear sites in Iran are completely destroyed! Both the Times and CNN are getting slammed by the public!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump also shared Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement responding to the reports, which said, "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. 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," added Hegseth.
Earlier today, the White House published statements from multiple sources stating that the three sites the US struck were destroyed, including the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, which stated: “The devastating US strike on Fordo destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable. We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program, has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years. The achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material.”