

Pres. Trump Maintains U.S. Strikes Destroyed Iran's Nuclear Program
Jun 26, 2025
Norman Roule, a former CIA senior operations manager and now a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, dives into the complexities of the recent U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear program. He discusses conflicting intelligence reports regarding the effectiveness of those strikes. Roule highlights the skepticism surrounding claims of 'total obliteration' while emphasizing the importance of comprehensive assessments. Additionally, he sheds light on the diplomatic challenges and oversight issues facing future negotiations on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
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Complex Nuclear Damage Assessment
- Assessing damage from airstrikes requires multiple intelligence sources like human intel, SIGINT, and geospatial data.
- Analysts with nuclear and technical expertise interpret varied data to form a comprehensive damage picture.
Risks of Limiting Congress Intel
- Limiting classified information sharing with Congress threatens constitutional oversight.
- Politicizing intelligence risks national security and endangers troops and allies.
Battle Damage Assessments Evolve
- Battle damage assessments are early and evolving, needing time and multiple intelligence inputs.
- The initial reports suggest severe damage, but assessments get refined over time with more data.