US, Iran mull restarting nuclear talks: Trump envoy – DW – 06/25/2025
According to the assessment, Tehran would be able to restart its nuclear program in months, Reuters said, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The assessment are at odds with US President Donald Trump's assertions that the US strikes "fully obliterated" Iran's nuclear program.
The damage assessment was first reported by CNN, which asked the White House for comment, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the "alleged" assessment was "flat-out wrong."
"Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration," she was quoted as saying.
Trump has denied the news on his Truth Social platform. In a post written in capital letters, he described CNN as "fake news," writing the reporting aimed to "demean one of the most successful military strikes in history." He maintained that Iran's nuclear sites are now "completely destroyed."
The America strikes on Iranian nuclear sites used conventional weapons as well as bunker-busting bombs, believed to be the only bombs capable of destroying Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site.
The extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities and sites remains unclear.
The US and Iran are in early discussions about resuming negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, US special envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox news.
"The conversations are promising. We're hopeful," Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News. "Now it's time to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace deal."
Witkoff said US and Iran are engaged in both direct talks and through intermediaries about getting back to the table after Israeli and US strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.
A new round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran was slated for June 15, but Israel struck Iran two days earlier, triggering a war that saw the US strike three nuclear facilities in Iran, before Trump announced a surprise ceasefire on Monday.
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Despite reported violations in the first hours, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran seems to be holding, after US President Donald Trump put out a sharp reprimand against both countries.
On Tuesday, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington and Tehran were in early discussions over resuming nuclear talks which were derailed by the Israeli strikes on Iran and the consequent war.
Meanwhile, an early intelligence assessment reportedly found that Iran's nuclear program was only set back by a few months, following American strikes on three Iranian facilities. The findings, which are ongoing, are at odds with Trump's assertions that Iran's nuclear program was "fully obliterated."
Follow along for the latest news on the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, as well as news, videos and analyses from the wider Middle East region.
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