France will make its own assessment of US attacks on Iran, Macron says

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France will conduct its own independent analysis of the damage caused by recent US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, Sky News reports.

His statements came just before US President Donald Trump praised the"obliteration" of these sites in a speech at the NATO summit.

Macron stressed that France is completing its assessment using all available data and that it will later compare its conclusions with those of other interested states, including the United States, European allies and Israel.

He also mentioned that he plans to meet with the head of the UN Atomic Energy Agency in Paris to strengthen his position.

US defense chief: 'Iran's nuclear program has been obliterated' after attacks

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that Iran's nuclear program has been"obliterated" following recent US military strikes, Sky News reports.

His statement contrasts with a US intelligence report suggesting the program may not have been completely destroyed, a report that Hegseth criticized as based on"a low degree of confidence" due to the destruction of physical evidence.

“All the evidence is buried under a mountain, devastated and obliterated,” Hegseth said. “If you want to assess what happened at Fordow, you better get a big shovel and dig deep.”

He attributed Iran's willingness to return to the negotiating table to the effectiveness of these strikes, praising Donald Trump's leadership:"Iran's nuclear capabilities have been reduced beyond what they could have imagined, thanks to the courage of a supreme commander who acted decisively, despite what the fake press says."

Trump downplays resumption of negotiations with Iran, but hints at imminent meeting

President Donald Trump has expressed his lack of interest in formally resuming nuclear negotiations with Iran, stating:"I'm not" [interested], when asked if he was open to new talks.

“The way I see it, they fought, the war is over,” Trump said, suggesting he saw the conflict as over. He added that the US could demand a formal declaration from Iran giving up its nuclear ambitions, but insisted: “They’re not going to do it anyway.”

Trump temporarily handed over the floor to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who stressed that the US remains open to anyone who wants peace. But when asked again on the subject, Trump maintained his reserved position on resuming negotiations, although he noted that a meeting with Iranian representatives is scheduled for next week.

Trump says Iran-Israel war is over, but warns it could break out again

US President Donald Trump told journalists that he believes the recent conflict between Iran and Israel is over, citing exhaustion on both sides, according to Sky News.

“They fought very hard and very violently, and they were both glad to go home,” he said. “Because we’ve dealt with both sides and they’re tired, exhausted.”

However, Trump added a note of caution:"I think one day it could start again, maybe even soon."

He claimed that the war ended after American attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, which he credited with halting hostilities.

Trump also dismissed recent US intelligence reports suggesting that Iran's nuclear enrichment program is still operational, labeling the media coverage as"fake news," a phrase repeated throughout the day.

Trump claims Iran's nuclear sites have been"devastated" and underground facilities destroyed

US President Donald Trump has reiterated claims that recent US airstrikes have effectively destroyed Iran's nuclear infrastructure, rejecting media reports questioning the extent of the damage.

"You can't go into the tunnels," Trump said, referring to Iran's underground nuclear facilities."There's nothing. You can't even go down there. Everything's collapsed and it's a disaster."

"I think all the nuclear stuff is down there, because it's very difficult to get out," he added.

Trump also boasted about the accuracy of the strikes:"Each strike hit within 9 inches of the target."

Trump declares: 'We believe it's over,' praising end to Iran-Israel conflict

Speaking at the NATO summit in the Netherlands, US President Donald Trump praised US military strength and reaffirmed his belief that the conflict between Iran and Israel is over, writes Sky News.

Describing US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as an"obliteration", Trump said the action had paved the way for peace and led to a ceasefire agreement on Monday.

"We call it the 12-day war," he said."I talked to a few people. It just seemed like the right name. It was a 12-day war. And we think it's over. I don't think they're going to resume hostilities."

Trump also stressed that the US had "restored the credibility of American deterrence," which he described as unparalleled.

Senior Iranian officials and bodies, including the president, confirmed the ceasefire between Iran and Israel on June 24.

Kremlin representatives believe that Iran's decision to suspend cooperation with the IAEA is a consequence of the attacks launched by the Israelis and Americans on Iranian nuclear facilities.

In comments broadcast by the RIA Novosti news agency, Peskov claimed that the IAEA's reputation had suffered serious damage due to these attacks.

US strikes on Iran ended the war, Trump claims

Speaking before the NATO summit, Donald Trump said that the United States' attacks on Iran ended the war between Tehran and Israel, notes Skynews.

Asked how long he thought Iran's nuclear program had been delayed, he replied:"I think decades. I don't think they'll ever do it again."

He added: "I think they've had enough. They've been straight to hell. The last thing they want is to enrich [uranium] any more. When you see a site like that, it's very hard to rebuild," Trump said, adding that"that strike ended the war."

The Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said that his top priority is the return of inspectors to Iranian nuclear facilities, affected by recent US and Israeli military attacks.

Rafael Grossi, the director of the IAEA, said on Wednesday that the agency's top priority is to resume inspections in Iran to assess the impact of attacks launched by the United States and Israel on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.

According to Reuters, Grossi said he received a letter from Iran on June 13. In the document, Iranian authorities said they would take"special measures" to protect nuclear materials.

They did not provide details, but Grossi said it is expected that much of the material survived the attacks.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear agency, says access to Iran's nuclear facilities is the priority. Grossi wants inspectors to assess the impact of US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The head of the UN nuclear agency said that the zero priority for his inspectors is to return to Iranian nuclear facilities to assess the impact of recent military attacks on Tehran's nuclear program, according to Al Jazeera.

Grosi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the statement during a visit to Vienna.

Grosi also called for a long-term solution to Iran's nuclear program. IAEA reports indicate that Israel's 12-day war and US strikes have only delayed the nuclear program by a few months. US President Donald Trump said the US strikes were a success and that the nuclear sites were destroyed.

Pete Hegseth on the attacks on Iran: It was a flawless mission

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague that the airstrikes carried out by the United States on the Iranian nuclear program were"impeccable" and that any other interpretation of the event is politically motivated.

Pete Hegseth claimed that the US bombing of the underground nuclear facility at Fordow was executed with the utmost precision:"They landed exactly where they were supposed to, so it was a flawless flawless mission. And given the 13,000 kilograms of explosives and the capacity of those munitions, there was devastation under Fordow."

On criticism or speculation about the mission, the official said:"Any assessment that says it was anything else is speculation with other motives. And we know that because, by the way, when you actually look at the report, it was a top secret report, it was preliminary. It had a low level of confidence. So, this is politically motivated here. Of course, we are doing an investigation into the leaks with the FBI right now, because this information is for internal purposes, damage assessments of the attack, and CNN and others are trying to distort it to tarnish the image of the president, when this was an overwhelming success."

A preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), cited by CNN, indicates that the strikes on Iran's nuclear program have delayed its development by only a few months.

Trump on the attack on Iranian nuclear facilities: I think it was total destruction

US President Donald Trump has again claimed that the US military operation against Iran was a success."I think it was a total destruction," Trump said on Wednesday during remarks in The Hague. The US leader is attending the NATO summit.

Donald Trump was asked by journalists gathered in The Hague about US intelligence reports suggesting the attacks did not destroy Iran's nuclear sites. Trump disagreed, saying it was"destruction."

UPDATE

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is at a more advanced stage of developing a nuclear weapon following the US attack, despite preliminary reports indicating limited effects on the Iranian nuclear program, Politico reports.

UPDATE"Reckless" of Trump to claim Iran's nuclear facilities have been "destroyed", says retired US general

A retired US general says Donald Trump was completely wrong when he said Iran's nuclear program was destroyed"within hours" of the US attack on three facilities.

"We are talking about targets deep inside a mountain. It is impossible to make an accurate assessment of war damage so quickly," Ben Hodges told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

Recall that the US launched attacks against three nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend, targeting Fordo, which is buried deep under a mountain, as well as Natanz and Isfahan.

Trump's comments shortly after the attack were"not very wise," Hodges says, adding that it's hard to know the extent of the damage until someone can get into the mountain.

UPDATE Iranian parliament votes to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear agency

The Iranian parliament has voted to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear agency, according to information broadcast by state media.

The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has refused to condemn Israeli and American attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and has"put its international credibility up for auction."

Ghalibaf states that Iranian nuclear authorities "will suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the security of nuclear facilities is guaranteed."

He also states that "Iran's peaceful nuclear program will advance at a faster pace."

Although the vote is symbolic, this measure must be approved by senior officials within the Iranian government and does not represent official policy in its current form.

UPDATE Former US ambassador says leaked report is"premature"

A former US ambassador to Israel says it is "premature" to know the true extent of the impact of US bombings on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Daniel Shapiro, who worked in the Obama administration, told the BBC's Newsday program:"I wouldn't expect any assessment so early."

"It takes more time to get real information," he said.

The most important question, he argues, is"what is the status of highly enriched uranium?"

UPDATE Former Pentagon official questions conflicting reports on damage to Iran's nuclear program

A former Pentagon official who worked in the first Trump administration says classified information "should never see the light of day" after the leak of a Pentagon intelligence report on the damage to Iran's nuclear program.

On BBC Radio 4's Today show, Mick Mulroy says the leak was dangerous because it put"human sources at risk." They "could be killed if they're compromised," he says.

The former official also questions how previous assessments, according to which the attacks would have delayed the development of Iranian nuclear facilities by years, were"so wrong."

"Obviously, either they were wrong before or they are wrong now – it can't be both," he says."The White House uses the word destroyed, and the report is much less categorical."

Asked if the US has "finished" attacking Iran, Mulroy says"Iran cannot have nuclear weapons."

"There could be additional attacks to ensure they never get to the point of having nuclear weapons," he says.

Early stage evaluation

Four people familiar with the matter told CNN that the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's intelligence agency, has conducted this early-stage assessment. The US strikes likely did not destroy the core components of Iran's nuclear program, but likely delayed it by a few months.

The damage assessment from the US strikes is ongoing and could change as more information becomes available. However, the initial findings contradict President Donald Trump's claims shortly after the attack that the strikes had"completely and totally destroyed" Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities.

Two sources told CNN that the assessment found that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium had not been destroyed. One of the people said the centrifuges were largely"intact."

What the White House says

The White House acknowledged the assessment, but disagreed with it. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told CNN in a statement that"this alleged assessment is completely flawed and was classified 'Top Secret,' yet was leaked to CNN by an anonymous low-ranking loser in the intelligence community. The leak of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to discredit President Trump and the brave pilots who completed a perfectly executed mission."

On Tuesday morning, Trump reiterated his belief that the damage caused by the strikes was significant.

"I think it was completely demolished," he said, adding:"Those pilots hit their targets. Those targets were destroyed, and the pilots should be given credit."

Asked about the possibility of Iran rebuilding its nuclear program, Trump replied:"That place is rock bottom. That place is being demolished."