During a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, President Donald Trump drew a controversial parallel between the recent US airstrikes on Iran and the World War, II atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The president claimed that the strikes effectively ended hostilities with Israel, stating, “I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don’t want to use an example of Nagasaki. But that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war. This ended the war.” Trump also criticized media outlets for allegedly diminishing the impact of the military action, calling CNN, MSNBC, and the New York Times “bad people” and “sick.” The US carried out unprecedented strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, supporting Israel’s 12-day campaign against Iran. Trump has since announced a ceasefire between the two sides and declared the facilities “totally obliterated.” However, Iran denies that its civil nuclear program was destroyed and insists that it will continue using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. A preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency report suggests that the strikes may have only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by months, with Iran’s underground centrifuges largely intact.
According to CNN, which referenced sources familiar with the intelligence, Iran’s underground centrifuges used to enrich uranium remained largely intact. The assessment also reportedly indicated that Tehran’s stockpile of fissile material was likely relocated to secure locations before the strikes. The Islamic Republic will reconsider its stance on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty cooperation, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said. As “20 years of transparency and trust-building regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program have not yielded positive results,” the issue needs to be considered, he told the New Arab in an interview. Tehran has devoted significant effort toward its peaceful nuclear energy program, and will not stop developing it, the top diplomat said.
According to multiple outlets, a classified, preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report suggests that the US airstrikes may have only set the Iranian nuclear program back by months. Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has criticized Europe for bearing a “share of the blame” for Israel’s attack on Iran. These geopolitical tensions highlight the complexity of international relations and the potential consequences of military interventions in the Middle East.