Iran and Israel were both claiming victory as the world waited Wednesday to determine whether a ceasefire would hold in a short but deadly conflict, joined briefly by the U.S., aimed at destroying Iran's nuclear weapon capability.
Israeli Prime Miniser Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his country had achieved the goals of its attacks on Iran by destroying the nation's nuclear program. President Donald Trump had said U.S. bombers "obliterated" Iranian nuclear sites when they dropped 14 "bunker-buster'' bombs on three facilities.
But a Pentagon intelligence assessment now says the 30,000-pound weapons did not reach deep enough to destroy the underground installations and likely only delayed Iran's nuclear program by a few months. Trump said Wednesday the intelligence was inconclusive.
"The intelligence says we don't know. It could've been very severe, that's what the intelligence suggests," Trump told reporters ahead of meeting with world leaders at a NATO summit. "It was very severe. There was obliteration."
In Iran, the Supreme National Security Council declared that the Islamic Republic’s military response to the attack forced Israel and its Western supporters to unilaterally halt offensive operations. And Iran's top nuclear official, Mohammad Eslami, told the Mehr News Agency that preparations made ahead of the attack will prevent any hiatus in progress for Iran's nuclear industry.
