Trump Confirms Fordow Nuclear Site "Obliterated" as Israeli Officials Push Back
At the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday, President Donald J. Trump confirmed that the Iranian Fordow uranium enrichment facility — one of Tehran's most fortified nuclear sites — was “totally obliterated” in recent U.S. airstrikes, asserting the mission’s success despite conflicting claims from within Israel.
In a striking statement, President Trump emphasized the effectiveness of the B-2 bomber strikes, saying, “They have guys that go in there after the hit, they said it was total obliteration.” He added, “They’re not going to have a bomb and they’re not going to enrich.”
The operation, utilizing advanced bunker-buster munitions, targeted Iran’s three primary nuclear facilities: Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. President Trump declared the strikes not only “set back the Iranian nuclear program decades” but also guaranteed the safety of American allies in the region.
Israeli Intelligence Divided?
While President Trump credited Israeli field agents with confirming the extent of Fordow’s destruction, ultra-Orthodox Israeli lawmaker Aryeh Deri cast doubt, saying, “No one knows—because no one has visited there yet.” He suggested that while satellite data and intelligence show significant damage, “it’s premature to declare total destruction without physical confirmation.”
However, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi offered a starkly different assessment, asserting that “The Iranian program to produce nuclear weapons has suffered a dramatic blow.” Hanegbi confirmed the complete destruction of the Natanz uranium enrichment site and the Isfahan metallic uranium reprocessing facility. He also stated that “it will not be possible to restore [Fordow] to normal operation over time.”
Washington Holds Firm
Senior administration officials echoed the President's assessment. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “The bombs landed where they were supposed to land, there was devastation.”
Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio added, “They are much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action.” He stressed the strategic impact of the strikes, dismissing claims they only caused temporary setbacks.
Leak Investigation Underway
The narrative was complicated by a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment that offered a “low confidence” estimate of the damage, suggesting the facilities may have only been temporarily disrupted. President Trump acknowledged the existence of such intelligence but doubled down on the White House’s certainty of the strike’s success.
Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff strongly condemned the leak, calling it “treasonous.” He demanded a full investigation, a sentiment echoed by Defense Secretary Hegseth, who confirmed that the FBI is actively investigating the breach: “Of course, we’re doing a leak investigation with the FBI right now because this information is for internal purposes.”