Iranian intercepts suggest officials downplay damage from US strike: Report

India Today

17 hours ago

Intercepted Iranian messages suggest that officials in Tehran are downplaying the damage caused by US military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, The Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing four sources familiar with classified intelligence assessments circulating within the US government.A source familiar with the materials confirmed the Post's reporting to Reuters. Still, it noted, 'There are serious questions about whether the Iranian officials were being truthful,' adding that the intercepts are 'unreliable indicators' of the actual damage.advertisementThe strikes, ordered by President Donald Trump, have reignited debate within intelligence circles about the effectiveness of the operation. Trump has publicly declared the mission a resounding success, stating it 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear programme.
The Washington Post report is the latest to suggest that behind the confident public statements lies a more complex and unclear reality. Officials say it could take weeks before a full and accurate damage assessment is completed, given the limited on-ground visibility and Iran's tight control of nuclear sites.However, the White House dismissed the report by the Post."The notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense. Their nuclear weapons programme is over," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was quoted as saying by the Post.In an interview broadcast on Sunday on Fox News, Trump again reiterated his confidence that the strikes had destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities. "It was obliterated like nobody's ever seen before. And that meant the end to their nuclear ambitions, at least for a period of time," he said on the "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" programme.- Ends(With inputs from Reuters