The Washington Post reported on 29/6, citing 4 intelligence sources, that the US intercepted a call between senior Iranian officials. In this call, the officials speculated that Washington's "Hammer of the Night" airstrike did not cause the widespread, serious damage they had expected.

The specific content of the call was not disclosed, but the report raises questions about the true impact of the early morning 22/6 attack. President Donald Trump previously claimed the "Hammer of the Night" operation had "obliterated" Iranian nuclear facilities, setting back Tehran's nuclear program by "decades."

The Iranian government has not commented on the report.

Satellite image of Iran's Fordow nuclear facility on 27/6. Photo: Maxar

US officials did not deny intercepting the communication but asserted that Iran is incapable of assessing the damage to its nuclear facilities after the attack.

"It's shameful that the Washington Post is aiding and abetting a criminal act by publishing leaked information out of context," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "Unnamed Iranian officials would have no way of knowing what transpired hundreds of feet below the surface. Their nuclear program is finished."

A senior official at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence noted that "a small slice does not represent the whole picture". "One call between unnamed Iranian officials does not equal a complete intelligence assessment, which is built on multiple streams of evidence, sources and methods," the official emphasized.

An unnamed US official also suggested Iran's assessment was incorrect. "We destroyed their metal conversion facility, and rebuilding it will take years. US weapons hit their intended targets and were effective as expected," the official said.

Converting uranium from a compound form to pure metal is a crucial step in nuclear projects, enabling the creation of fuel rods for reactors or the core of nuclear weapons.

A US official on 29/6 also disclosed the contents of a closed-door meeting between military and intelligence leaders and members of Congress held mid-last week. In this meeting, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe affirmed that key Iranian nuclear infrastructure, including the metal conversion plant, was destroyed.

Ratcliffe, citing US intelligence assessments, stated that most of Iran's enriched uranium "may be buried at Isfahan and Fordow."

A B-2 bomber returns to Whiteman Air Force Base after the Iran airstrike on 22/6. Photo: AP

US and Israeli officials have repeatedly asserted that the 12-day conflict significantly hampered Iran's nuclear program. President Trump declared that the "Hammer of the Night" operation on the morning of 22/6 "obliterated" Iranian nuclear facilities, claiming it set Tehran's nuclear ambitions back "decades" and that Iran would struggle to rebuild the targeted sites.

However, US media, citing preliminary intelligence reports, suggested Washington's operation only set Tehran back "a few months" in its nuclear program. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Trump exaggerated the operation's results and asserted that the US "did nothing important."

In an interview aired on 29/6, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi stated that some Iranian nuclear facilities survived the conflict and could be operational again, resuming enriched uranium production "in the next few months or even sooner."

Pham Giang (According to Washington Post, Reuters)