By M10News International Desk | © M10News 2025
US President Donald Trump has defended recent US military strikes on Iran, insisting the country’s nuclear programme has been “completely obliterated,” despite experts warning that such claims are premature.
Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Mr. Trump praised Israel and Iran for agreeing to a ceasefire, calling the development “very good” for regional stability.
“I believe it was total obliteration,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “They didn’t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast. It’s hard to remove that kind of material — very hard and very dangerous.”
When pressed further on intelligence reports suggesting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure may have survived the strikes, the US president doubled down: “It was obliteration,” he said.
He also dismissed threats from Tehran to resume uranium enrichment, saying: “The last thing they want to do is enrich anything right now. They want to recover. We won’t let that happen.”
CIA Chief: Iran Nuclear Programme ‘Severely Damaged’
CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided a more cautious assessment, telling reporters that Iran’s nuclear programme has been “severely damaged” by the strikes. However, he acknowledged that full evaluations are still underway.
His comments reflect internal US intelligence estimates, which suggest that the strikes inflicted major setbacks on Iran’s nuclear capabilities but fall short of confirming destruction.
Military Analyst: Trump’s Claims ‘Not Technically Credible’
Military analyst Michael Clarke also urged caution, saying Mr. Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “completely obliterated” within hours is “just not technically credible.”
Speaking to Sky News, Clarke said defence agencies typically express only “varying levels of confidence” in such assessments, rather than definitive conclusions.
He acknowledged that the strikes — involving advanced bunker-buster bombs — represented a “technological triumph” for the US military. However, he noted the bombs had never been tested in real-world scenarios, making it unclear how much damage was done.
“Undoubtedly, it would be logical to assume enormous damage was probably caused,” Clarke said. “But damage beyond repair? We don’t know.”
He added that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, along with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will likely gather more reliable information over the coming weeks.
“Mossad will get a good idea of the damage, as will the IAEA, because they have extensive monitoring operations across Iran,” he said.
Clarke estimated that accurate assessments could take “a couple of weeks, maybe three to four weeks.”
“The idea that we know within hours that everything was completely obliterated is just not technically credible,” he concluded.
Trump Responds to ‘NATO Daddy’ Remark
Amid heightened diplomatic tensions, President Trump also responded to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s remark describing him as NATO’s “daddy.”
Smiling as he addressed the comment, Mr. Trump remarked: “They can call me whatever they want, as long as NATO gets stronger and everyone pays their fair share.”
The NATO summit continues in The Hague, with discussions focused on alliance unity, burden-sharing, and security challenges in the Middle East and beyond.
Editing by M10News International Team | © M10News 2025. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
