‘If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities,’ the director of national intelligence said.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday that new intelligence has shown that U.S. strikes on Iran set back the country’s capacity to produce nuclear weapons, disputing a report that it would only give the regime a few months’ delay.
“New intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed. If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do,” Gabbard wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
New intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed. If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do.
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 25, 2025
The…
Multiple media outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) found that strikes on three Iranian facilities over the past weekend were not as significant as what has been publicly claimed. Those reports also claimed that Iran moved much of its uranium supply before the airstrikes.
Echoing Gabbard’s statement Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratlciffe wrote on X that “a body of credible evidence indicates” that the Iranian nuclear program was “severely damaged” by the U.S. strikes several days ago, also disputing the reporting Tuesday.
My statement confirming CIA intelligence which contradicts illegally sourced public reporting regarding the destruction of key Iranian nuclear facilities. pic.twitter.com/Ln3b4hfELc
— CIA Director John Ratcliffe (@CIADirector) June 25, 2025
Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and President Donald Trump denied those media outlets’ claims, describing the DNI report as preliminary.
“The propaganda media has deployed their usual tactic: selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments (intentionally leaving out the fact that the assessment was written with “low confidence”) to try to undermine President Trump’s decisive leadership and the brave servicemen and women who flawlessly executed a truly historic mission to keep the American people safe and secure,” Gabbard said in her statement on Wednesday.
Over the weekend, the United States launched several airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities just over a week after Iran and Israel launched attacks each other on a daily basis, prompting fears of a wider, prolonged conflict.
Gabbard’s comment comes just hours after Trump read aloud a statement by Israeli officials that said the Iranian facilities, including the Fordow site that’s partially buried under a mountain, were totally destroyed by U.S. B-2 bombers.
