Washington, D.C. – New reports suggest that Iranian officials may be publicly downplaying the damage caused by recent U.S. military strikes on their nuclear infrastructure, according to classified intelligence cited by The Washington Post. However, American officials remain cautious about taking Tehran’s narrative at face value.

According to sources familiar with the intelligence, intercepted communications from within Iran indicate officials have minimized the impact of the U.S. offensive — possibly in an attempt to maintain public confidence or strategic ambiguity. But analysts say the intercepts alone are far from conclusive.

One U.S. official, who spoke anonymously to Reuters, confirmed the report but cautioned that “there are serious questions about whether the Iranian officials themselves are being honest.” The intercepted messages, the source added, are considered “unreliable indicators” of the true scale of the destruction.

The controversy underscores a broader uncertainty over the effectiveness of the U.S. strikes launched last weekend under President Donald Trump’s directive. While Trump has insisted the operation “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, U.S. intelligence assessments paint a more cautious picture.

A leaked assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reportedly suggested that the damage might only delay Iran’s nuclear progress by several months — far from the sweeping blow publicly claimed by the White House.

Still, the Biden administration has doubled down on its position. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the Iranian narrative outright, telling The Post: “The notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense. Their nuclear weapons program is over.”

Trump, speaking on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, echoed the administration’s hardline stance. “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.

While Iran has yet to offer a full public response or independent verification of the damage, the international community is closely watching the fallout from the strike, which has once again raised tensions in the Middle East.

WafricNews will continue to follow developments as the U.S. intelligence community works to verify the true impact of the operation on Iran’s controversial nuclear program.


By WafricNews Desk.