On Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unusual move by releasing a statement publicly defending President Donald Trump, going on to make the claim that bombing Iran “severely damaged” the country’s nuclear enrichment program. Ratcliffe, a Trump appointee and former Republican member of Congress, has played a small role in public relations when it comes to the current administration’s rebuke of reports suggesting the bombing did not do significant damage to Tehran’s nuclear projects.
The head of the CIA cited a “body of credible intelligence” that suggests Trump is right to say that the Iranian nuclear program has been “totally obliterated.” Would we expect anything less from the man than the truth? Trump has been super transparent about what he’s up to in his administration, so if he says it’s obliterated, that’s exactly what it is.
“CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes. This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years,” Ratcliffe explained in his statement, according to Trending Politics News.
CIA officials are working closely with Israeli partners, along with confidential sources to assess the long-term consequences of the bombing on Iran’s nuclear projects.
“CIA continues to collect additional reliably sourced information to keep appropriate decision-makers and oversight bodies fully informed. When possible, we will also provide updates and information to the American public, given the national importance of this matter and in every attempt to provide transparency,” he continued.
Here’s more from TPN:
Ratcliffe’s assessment follows another by Israeli intelligence forces concluding that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back by at least two years. President Trump has relied on the intel to rebut reporting by CNN and the New York Times.
The CIA analysis affords Trump a powerful tool to wield as he seeks to claim credit for a bombing that initially divided his most loyal allies into pro-war and isolationist camps. It is also another indication of how seriously the administration is taking reporting, suggesting that the bombing was not as successful as Trump claims. On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard made equally compelling claims that U.S. intelligence forces under her command have reached similar conclusions to those by the CIA.
“New intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed. If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do,” Gabbard said in a statement posted on social media.
“The propaganda media has deployed their usual tactic: selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments (intentionally leaving out the fact that the assessment was written with “low confidence”) to try to undermine President Trump’s decisive leadership and the brave servicemen and women who flawlessly executed a truly historic mission to keep the American people safe and secure,” Gabbard continued.
The report concluded by saying, “On Wednesday, President Trump prompted laughter from a large NATO gathering after he called on CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and suggested she focus more of her time reporting on the bravery of American troops. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth singled out Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin during a press conference Thursday, accusing her of undermining the operation by injecting “deep state” counterclaims into her stories.”
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