• Source:JND
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For the first time since the escalation of hostilities, Iran has officially acknowledged that its nuclear facilities sustained serious damage in recent American airstrikes. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera that nuclear installations were “badly damaged” during Sunday’s B-2 bomber raids carried out by the United States using bunker-buster bombs.

“Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” Baghaei said, refusing to elaborate further on the scale or specifics of the destruction.

US President Donald Trump, speaking at a NATO summit in the Netherlands, reinforced his belief that the American strikes were decisive. “They’re not going to have a bomb and they’re not going to enrich,” Trump stated, calling the ceasefire that followed the bombing “a great success.”

Posting on Truth Social, Trump added, “Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the war, equally! It was my great honour to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR.”

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Iran Stands Firm On Nuclear Ambitions

Despite the damage, Iran's leadership remains defiant. On Tuesday, the Iranian Parliament voted to fast-track a bill that would end cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), signaling a move toward secrecy and defiance in its nuclear pursuits. Tehran insists it will not abandon its nuclear program.

While President Trump claimed the nuclear sites were “obliterated,” a leaked preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) cast doubt, suggesting the damage may have only set Iran’s program back by months. The leak, which was reported by CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, infuriated the White House, which dismissed the findings as “fake news” and politically motivated.

Israeli officials, however, appear cautiously optimistic. An Israeli intelligence source told Axios that while no final assessment has been made, early indications suggest the bunker-buster bombs were effective. “Nobody here is disappointed,” one official said, emphasizing that a professional assessment takes time.

ALSO READ: 'IAEA's Credibility Up For Sale': Iran Passes Bill To End Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

Political Fallout In Washington

The leak has stirred political tensions in the US, with Democrats accusing Trump of manipulating intelligence. “We’ve been here before,” warned Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), referencing the Iraq war. He expressed concern over Trump's handling of sensitive information and questioned the credibility of the administration’s narrative.