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CNN and Trump go to war over claim of 'obliterated' nuclear sites

CNN and Trump go to war over claim of 'obliterated' nuclear sites

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CNN and Trump go to war over claim of 'obliterated' nuclear sites

Reacting to a CNN story claiming the B-2 attack over Iran amounted to a temporary setback for the regime, a retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot says he believes President Trump and the Pentagon over the liberal cable news channel.

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Countering the claim by President Trump the B-2 attack “totally obliterated” Iran’s three nuclear sites, an exclusive CNN story on Tuesday quoted an unnamed official who disputed that description. That person claimed an initial battle damage assessment showed little deep-level bomb damage to Iran’s deeply-buried nuclear facilities.

The official, who said the attack set back Iran by only few months, was citing classified satellite imagery collected by the Defense Intelligence Agency. Those images have also been reviewed by the White House and the Pentagon.

Reacting to the initial CNN story, a frustrated-sounding President Trump called CNN “gutless losers” and said it should apologize to the B-2 pilots.

“That place is gone,” President Trump, likely referring to the key Fordow facility, told reporters Tuesday.

The other two nuclear sites are known as Natanz and Isfahan.

Leavitt criticizes 'low-level loser'

Other members of the Trump administration have blasted CNN for its story, including press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and DNI director Tulsi Gabbard.

In a statement, Leavitt mocked CNN for relying on an “anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community." 

Steve Witkoff, the White House special envoy to the Mideast, called the leaked report to CNN “treasonous.”

Derek Jones, a retired combat pilot, calls the CNN story “absolutely ridiculous” because the Pentagon has the damage assessment from satellite imagery.

“Clearly this was an overwhelming success,” he tells AFN, “and overwhelming devastation of Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons."

U.S. ally Israel, which lobbied Trump to hit Iran's nuclear facilities, has also weighed in. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the combined U.S. and Israeli air strikes have "set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years." 

Gabbards cites 'new intelligence'

One key word in the dispute over bomb damage might be word “initial,” since the CNN source was admittedly relying on the first satellite images that formed the first battle damage assessment.

Even a Wednesday story by CNN, which cited seven anonymous sources, cited “early” assessments of battle damage at the three nuclear sites.  

On Wednesday, Gabbards cited “new intelligence” that verified “Operation Midnight Hammer” had done extensive damage to the three sites.

“If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities... entirely,” Gabbard wrote on X. “Which would likely take years to do.”

Gabbards post on X also said the “propaganda media” had selectively cited portions of the classified assessment and intentionally did not mention it was labeled “low confidence” by the Pentagon.

Hegseth has also pointed out the initial assessment CNN cited was labeled "low confidence." 

President Trump’s description of serious, long-lasting damage was also backed by Iran itself. A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry told Al Jazeera the nuclear installations were “badly damaged” by the attack.

Jones tells AFN he was happy to learn the FBI is investigating the leak and is looking for the leaker.

“I do agree that anyone that would be leaking information should be charged and they should find themselves under investigation and tried,” he says. “That's just the truth and the reality of it."

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