Trump's Iran strike certainty meets stiff resistance: ‘We don't know'
The Trump administration is struggling to convince skeptics of its claims that U.S. strikes on Iran have toppled the country's nuclear program and wiped out ambitions to rebuild it.
In the past two days, a fiery Pentagon press conference and two classified congressional briefings have left one key question unanswered: How far was Iran's nuclear program set back?
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump said his claims about Iran's nuclear sites had been 'proven.'
'It's been obliterated. It would be years before they could ever get going,' he said, adding that the Iranians are 'exhausted, the last thing they're thinking about is nuclear.'
But over on Capitol Hill, lawmakers were not convinced.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other top intelligence officials briefed the Senate on Thursday and the House on Friday about the June 21 strikes on the Fordow Fuel Enrichment plant, Natanz Enrichment Complex and Isfahan nuclear site.
Democrats said the meetings – which also included Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – failed to answer key questions about how much enriched uranium Iran still possessed and how long it would take for Tehran to resume its battered nuclear program.
While no one questioned that the bombing inflicted significant damage to the Iranian infrastructure required to enrich uranium, lawmakers said they were presented little evidence that the attacks would prevent Tehran from producing nuclear weapons in the future.
It's 'premature' for anyone to be claiming that Iran will not try to continue its nuclear program, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Friday on ABC News Live, saying 'there are just too many unknowns.'
Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.), the Democratic whip, said Friday's House briefing 'left me with more concerns and a true lack of clarity on how we are defining the mission and the success of it.'
And Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.), a former nuclear physicist, said there's no evidence that the attacks destroyed Iran's existing stockpiles of enriched uranium. If those are intact, he warned, Iran could still produce weapons with the strength of a Hiroshima bomb in 'a very small breakout time.'
Top Trump administration officials since earlier this week have been rankled by a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) preliminary summary that assessed the U.S. attacks had only set Iran's nuclear program back several months, not by years as Trump has claimed.
The DIA found the 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs dropped on Fordow and Natanz failed to collapse the two sites' underground buildings and that much of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium was still intact as it was moved before the bombing.
Following reports on the finding from The New York Times and CNN, Trump has taken on a combative tone, suggesting those in the U.S. intelligence world are only guessing as to how much Iran's nuclear program has been damaged. He has also called for the reporters who obtained the report to be fired.
The DIA assessment and media reports on it also prompted Hegseth to call a rare Pentagon press conference on Thursday, during which he lambasted the media's coverage of 'the most secret and most complex military strike in history.'
But he and Caine pointedly did not offer new assessments of the true damage to Tehran's nuclear program, instead highlighting the technical aspects of the military mission.
'You want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated, choose your word,' Hegseth said.
He also deflected questions as to whether Iran moved enriched uranium out of the Fordo site before the strike, saying that he was 'not aware' of intelligence suggesting anything was 'out of place.'
Satellite imagery shows trucks were present at Fordow a few days before the bombing, which experts have suggested means some of Iran's enriched uranium was moved ahead of time.
Following the Senate's classified briefing on Thursday, several Democrats said the intelligence presented contradicted the White House's sweeping claims of success.
'The point is: We don't know,' said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). 'Anybody who says we know with certainty is making it up because we have no final battle damage assessment.'
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) accused Trump of 'lying to the American when he said that we had destroyed the program.'
'I have now seen a lot of the underlying intelligence. Nothing I have seen or heard has changed my belief that we have likely only set back this program by months. . . . it is probable that if Iran wants to re-establish what it had that they could do it rather quickly,' Murphy said in a video posted to X.
Even staunch Trump supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was hesitant to tout the president's message that the Iranians had given up on their nuclear program.
'The program was obliterated at those three sites, but they still have ambitions,' he told reporters. 'They're obliterated today but you can reconstitute.'
He also questioned whether hundreds of pounds of highly enriched uranium which appeared to have been moved in the days ahead of the strike was destroyed, saying 'it wasn't part of the target set.'
Sen. Tom Cotton also acknowledged that eliminating Iran's uranium stockpile was not the mission's focus. 'It was not part of the mission to destroy all their enriched uranium or to cease it or anything else,' he said.
Foster said that's exactly where America's attention should be focused.
'The goal of this mission, from the start, was to secure or destroy that material,' Foster said after the House briefing. 'That's where they're hiding the ball. And that's what we have to keep our eyes on.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
39 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Senators launch a weekend of work to meet Trump's deadline for passing his tax and spending cuts
WASHINGTON — The Senate launched a rare weekend session Saturday as Republicans race to pass President Donald Trump's package of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds by his July Fourth deadline. Republicans are using their majorities in Congress to push aside Democratic opposition, but they have run into a series of political and policy setbacks. Not all GOP lawmakers are on board with proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks. The 940-page bill was released shortly before midnight Friday. Senators are expected to grind through the days ahead with procedural vote Saturday to begin considering the legislation, but the timing was uncertain. There would still be a long path ahead, with hours of potentially all-night debate and eventually voting on countless amendments. Senate passage could be days away, and the bill would need to return to the House for a final round of votes before it could reach the White House. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, opened the day's session with an impassioned defense of the package that he said has been misrepresented by its critics. 'Here's what American workers get out of 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' Moreno said as he began outlining the provisions. 'Read it for yourself.' The weekend session could be a make-or-break moment for Trump's party, which has invested much of its political capital on his signature domestic policy plan. Trump is pushing Congress to wrap it up, even as he sometimes gives mixed signals, allowing for more time. At recent events at the White House, including Friday, Trump has admonished the 'grandstanders' among GOP holdouts to fall in line. 'We can get it done,' Trump said in a social media post. 'It will be a wonderful Celebration for our Country.' The legislation is an ambitious but complicated series of GOP priorities. At its core, it would make permanent many of the tax breaks from Trump's first term that would otherwise expire by year's end if Congress fails to act, resulting in a potential tax increase on Americans. The bill would add new breaks, including no taxes on tips, and commit $350 billion to national security, including for Trump's mass deportation agenda. But the spending cuts that Republicans are relying on to offset the lost tax revenues are causing dissent within the GOP ranks. Some lawmakers say the cuts go too far, particularly for people receiving health care through Medicaid. Meanwhile, conservatives, worried about the nation's debt, are pushing for steeper cuts. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he remains concerned about the fundamentals of the package and will not support the procedural motion to begin debate. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., pushing for deeper cuts, said he needed to see the final legislative text. With the narrow Republicans majorities in the House and Senate, leaders need almost every lawmaker on board to ensure passage. The release of that draft had been delayed as the Senate parliamentarian reviewed the bill to ensure it complied with the chamber's strict 'Byrd Rule,' named for the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, It largely bars policy matters from inclusion in budget bills unless a provision can get 60 votes to overcome objections. That would be a tall order in a Senate with a 53-47 GOP edge and Democrats unified against Trump's bill. Republicans suffered a series of setbacks after several proposals were determined to be out of compliance by the chief arbiter of the Senate's rules. One plan would have shifted some food stamp costs from the federal government to the states; a second would have gutted the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But over the past days, Republicans have quickly revised those proposals and reinstated them. The final text includes a proposal for cuts to a Medicaid provider tax that had run into parliamentary objections and opposition from several senators worried about the fate of rural hospitals. The new version extends the start date for those cuts and establishes a $25 billion fund to aid rural hospitals and providers. Most states impose the provider tax as a way to boost federal Medicaid reimbursements. Some Republicans argue that is a scam and should be abolished. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said that under the House-passed version of the bill, some 10.9 million more people would go without health care and at least 3 million fewer would qualify for food aid. The CBO has not yet publicly assessed the Senate draft, which proposes steeper reductions. Top income-earners would see about a $12,000 tax cut under the House bill, while the package would cost the poorest Americans $1,600, the CBO said. The Senate included a compromise over the so-called SALT provision, a deduction for state and local taxes that has been a top priority of lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states, but the issue remains unsettled. The current SALT cap is $10,000 a year, and a handful of Republicans wanted to boost it to $40,000 a year. The final draft includes a $40,000 cap, but for five years instead of 10. Many Republican senators say that is still too generous. At least one House GOP holdout, Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, had said that would be insufficient. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Republicans dropped the bill 'in the dead of night' and are rushing to finish the bill before the public fully knows what's in it. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent his colleagues home for the weekend with plans to be on call to return to Washington, had said they are 'very close' to finishing up. 'We would still like to meet that July Fourth, self-imposed deadline,' said Johnson, R-La. Johnson and Thune have stayed close to the White House, relying on Trump to pressure holdout lawmakers.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jesse Watters' New Nickname For Zohran Mamdani Makes Him Sound Ridiculously Cool
Fox News host Jesse Watters has unveiled a new nickname for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — and people can't help but notice it makes him sound really, really cool. Over the past few days, the commentator has referred to the progressive rising star as 'Zohran the Destroyer,' or simply 'the destroyer,' multiple times. In a viral screenshot from Thursday's episode of 'Jesse Watters Primetime,' a chyron reads, 'ZOHRAN THE DESTROYER WRECKS DEM PARTY.' The segment touched on angst from some Democrats over Mamdani threatening the status quo. The democratic socialist beat former New York Gov. and accused sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday in a stunning upset. 'What's Zohran the Destroyer got going for him?' Watters asked in a monologue that trashed Mamdani's policy proposals and mocked his supporters. He also called him a 'smooth-talking assassin.' On 'The Five' on Friday, Watters mused, 'Zohran the Destroyer is about to give Karl Marx a woke makeover, if Democrats can't stop him from becoming the next mayor of New York City.' On social media, people joked about how awesome the moniker made Mamdani sound. They're giving him cool nicknames now — pokey pup (@Whatapityonyou) June 27, 2025 Problem? — Austin MacNamara - Gremloe (@gremloe) June 28, 2025 omw to Join the Praetorian Guard of Zohran the Destroyer — Estrie⚢🔆 (@AdorableEstrie) June 28, 2025 I'm sorry @ZohranKMamdani, but I will only be referring to you by your full name from now on: Zohran The Destroyer. — Deliver The Food (@deliverthefred) June 27, 2025 They try to make him sound scary and just make him sound like a hero."Hither came Zohran, black-haired, bright-eyed, sword in hand, a reaver, a billionaire-slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet." — Josiah Hawthorne (@JosiahHawthorne) June 27, 2025 Zohran Mamdani Stuns Andrew Cuomo In NYC Mayoral Primary Marjorie Taylor Greene And Tucker Carlson Offer Surprising Praise For Rising Dem Star Democrats Hope They Can Replicate Zohran Mamdani, Just Without The Socialism
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
This overlooked risk to financial markets usually lurks quietly under the surface. But now it's ‘shouting, not whispering'
Much attention has been focused on the U.S. current account deficit, or the imbalance between imports and export, but there's another metric that's poised to amplify market shocks. That's the net international investment position, according to Kevin Ford, FX and macro strategist at Convera, who likens it to America's financial scorecard with the rest of the world. President Donald Trump's trade war has focused much of Wall Street's attention on the U.S. current account deficit, or the imbalance between imports and exports. But there's another metric worth following that could worsen financial risks. According to Kevin Ford, FX and macro strategist at Convera, the country's net international investment position (NIIP) often gets overlooked. It measures how much the U.S. owns abroad versus how much the world owns in the U.S., he said in a note last week, describing it as America's financial scorecard with the rest of the world. And by that score, the U.S. is in the red by about $26 trillion, or nearly 80% of GDP. 'That means foreign investors hold way more American assets than Americans hold abroad,' Ford added. 'It's a setup that works fine when confidence is high, but in shaky times like 2025, it can become a pressure cooker.' Indeed, times have been shaky. The U.S. Dollar Index is down 10% so far this year as the shock of Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs continues to reverberate, creating doubts about U.S. assets once deemed reliable safe havens. In fact, the dollar's year-to-date plunge is the worst since the U.S. transitioned to a free-floating exchange rate in 1973, effectively ending the post-World War II system of fixed rates under the Bretton Woods agreement. Meanwhile, legislation that would add trillions of dollars to fiscal deficits is advancing in Congress, stirring more anxiety among foreign investors, especially those who hold U.S. debt. Put it all together, and this year has been a textbook example of how a negative NIIP profile can magnify currency turmoil, Ford warned. 'And because so much of the capital propping up the U.S. financial system comes from abroad, even small shifts in sentiment can lead to big outflows,' he added. 'That's a lot of dollars being sold, and fewer being bought, and voilà, the greenback stumbles.' Circling back to the financial scorecard analogy, Ford explained that the problem with focusing on the current account deficit is that it only shows the flow of transactions, i.e. imports versus exports. By contrast, the NIIP shows the overall pile of debts—and ignoring that would be like judging a person's spending habits without checking their credit card balance, he said, making trust 'your most important asset.' 'Yes, trade deficits, interest rates, and Fed signals all play a role, but the NIIP tells you just how exposed the U.S. is when things go sideways,' Ford concluded. 'It's the quiet structural risk lurking under the surface, ready to amplify shocks. And in a year like this, it's been shouting, not whispering.' Waning confidence in the dollar has spurred investors and central banks around the world to load up on gold, which has soared in price in recent years and particularly this year, surging 21% in 2025. Trump's unrelenting pressure on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates has also weakened the dollar lately. While many on Wall Street see even more downside potential ahead for the dollar, the AI boom that's still drawing billions in global investment flows to the U.S. offers some hope for relief. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
