Donald Trump continued his post-strike gloating on Sunday night, insisting that “obliteration is an accurate term” to describe what U.S. bombers did to three Iranian nuclear sites.
The president had claimed in his Saturday night address to the nation that “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.” His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, echoed the terminology on Sunday morning, telling reporters: “Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated.”
But various experts, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was still too early to assess the full extent of the damage. Both U.S. and Israeli officials told The New York Times they believe the strike on the deeply fortified Fordow site had severely damaged but not destroyed it.
Trump, in a late-night Truth Social post, declared: “Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images.“
“Obliteration is an accurate term!” he insisted. “The white structure shown is deeply imbedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!”
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported Sunday night that Trump has been “closely tracking the coverage” of the strikes.
American warplanes on Saturday dropped multiple 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs which have the ability to penetrate underground targets like Fordow. Iran’s facilities were buried deep underground to prevent strikes like those.
Satellite imagery taken on Sunday showed apparent bomb damage and entry holes at Fordow, but also showed a support building at Fordow that appeared intact—though that might not have been a key target, The New York Times reported. It seems that’s the “white structure” Trump was referencing.
On June 19, more than a dozen cargo trucks were seen in satellite imagery near an entrance tunnel at Fordow. There’s reported evidence that Iranians, aware of Trump’s deliberations, moved stockpiles of uranium and other equipment from its sites.
Enriched uranium is a critical component of a nuclear bomb—which both the U.S. and Israel are intent on preventing Iran from developing.
If the facilities were not completely destroyed, and if near-weapons-grade enriched uranium was successfully moved before the strikes, some experts warn that the provocation and diplomatic fallout could ultimately accelerate Iran’s nuclear program in the long run.
In another Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump floated regime change in Iran, even after his own top officials said the strikes were a one-off operation and there was no intent to topple the government.
