The head of French intelligence, Nicolas Lerner, published an unexpected assessment, according to which all components of the Iranian nuclear program are seriously compromised during the twelve-day military operation between Israel and the USA.
Despite President Trump's dramatic statements about complete destruction, the French expert moderately predicts only a temporary delay of the program by a few months. According to his words, only a small part of the enriched uranium is destroyed, while the remaining quantities continue to be owned by Tehran.
The US Department of Defense presented an alternative perspective through spokesperson Sean Pernell, who stated that the carried out attacks have set back the Iranian nuclear program by one or two years. He was particularly categorical about specific sites such as Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, which he claims are completely destroyed.
The initial media reports from CNN and The New York Times, however, cast doubt on these claims, suggesting that the delay is rather short-term. This information provoked a sharp reaction from the Trump administration, which accused the media of biased reporting.
Defense Minister Pete Gasset categorically defended the position that nuclear facilities are destroyed and accused his critics of politically motivated actions against the president.
The Israeli assessment, published by the Atomic Energy Committee, was more conservative. They claim that the combined American-Israeli attacks have set back Iran's nuclear capacity by years, although private sources point to a more moderate forecast of about two years.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House, Trump again emphasized his decisiveness, stating that Iranian nuclear facilities are "destroyed to the ground". He did not rule out future negotiations and even allowed the possibility of a diplomatic agreement.
Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff predicted that negotiations with Iran could resume very soon - possibly as early as next week. Despite different interpretations, all parties seem to agree that the status quo around the Iranian nuclear program has changed.
The ultimate truth remains uncertain, as various intelligence services continue to provide partially overlapping but not identical analyses of the situation.