Trump Slams CNN Spin: Fordow Was “Totally Obliterated,” Israeli and Iranian Sources Confirm
President Donald J. Trump delivered a firm rebuke to CNN’s downplayed coverage of the successful U.S. strikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, asserting that both Israeli intelligence teams and even Iranian officials have confirmed what the mainstream media won’t admit: Fordow is gone.
During remarks at the NATO summit in The Hague, President Trump addressed the recent CNN report claiming that the U.S. airstrikes over the weekend may have only set Iran’s nuclear program back by a few months. Citing unnamed sources and a preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment, CNN downplayed the scope of the mission's success. The network noted Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was “not destroyed” and that most centrifuges remained intact.
CNN also hedged its position, suggesting the analysis could change as more intelligence surfaces — a familiar tactic when early reports threaten a preferred narrative.
But President Trump wasn’t having it.
“Israel is doing a report on it now, I understand. And I was told that they said it was total obliteration. You know they have guys that go in there after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration,” Trump said in front of reporters, directly challenging CNN’s portrayal.
When pressed by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about whether he was relying solely on Israeli intelligence, Trump dismissed the implication and pointed to multiple sources.
“No,” Trump replied. “This is also Iran made the statement, and it’s also, if you read the [DIA] document that was given… the document said it could be very severe damage… they said it could be limited or it could be very severe… you didn’t choose to put that [in your story] because it was very early afterward.”
He added that additional intelligence since the initial assessment now supports that the site was completely destroyed.
“Since then, we’ve collected additional intelligence, and we’ve also spoken to people who have seen the site — and the site is obliterated, and we think everything nuclear is down there.”
Trump didn’t mince words when addressing Collins and CNN directly.
“You should be commending the military for a job well done,” the President said, highlighting the mainstream media’s reflexive dismissal of American military success under his leadership.
CNN itself later contradicted its earlier tone with a follow-up story citing Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission, which acknowledged that the U.S. strikes rendered Fordow’s critical infrastructure inoperable and set Iran’s nuclear ambitions back by years.
“The devastating US strike on Fordo destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure… [and] has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years,” the IAEC stated.
President Trump read that conclusion aloud for the press, once again pointing out CNN’s selective coverage.
“I just want to thank our pilots. You know they were maligned and … demeaned by fake news CNN,” he said.
Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Effi Defrin confirmed the same:
“We significantly damaged the nuclear program… we set it back by years, I repeat, years,” he told The Times of Israel.
Even Iran’s own foreign ministry spokesman admitted:
“Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” Esmail Baghaei said in an Al Jazeera interview reported by Newsweek.
While CNN continues to bury the lede and question American strength, the facts are clear: The Trump administration — backed by Israeli and Iranian acknowledgments — delivered a devastating and successful blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.