U.S. Attack on Iran's Nuclear Program Sets It Back Only a Few Months

Maxar Satellite Imagery on Sunday provides a close-up view of several large craters puncturing the ridge directly above the Fordow underground complex. Satellite image (c) 2025 Maxar Technologies.

A classified U.S. report showed the United States’ attack on Iran’s nuclear sites only set back the country’s nuclear program a few months, according to The New York Times, despite President Donald Trump repeatedly suggesting Iran’s nuclear program has been effectively obliterated.

The report, according to unnamed officials interviewed by the Times, also says the U.S. bombing closed off the entrances to two enrichment facilities but “did not collapse their underground buildings.”

Officials told the Times more reports will follow the initial assessment as the U.S. collects more information and as Iran examines the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al-Araby al-Jadeed, a London-based news outlet, that Iran would not return to negotiations with the U.S. if “aggression” against Iran continued, CNN reported.

Eyal Zamir, Israel’s military chief, told reporters Israel’s campaign against Iran was not over, though Israel has “concluded a significant phase” and the Israeli military’s focus “shifts back to Gaza” and dismantling Hamas.

Shortly before he left the White House for a NATO summit in the Netherlands, Trump criticized Israel and Iran and accused both of ceasefire violations saying: “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what they’re doing.”

Trump was particularly critical of Israel’s actions, saying “I gotta get Israel to calm down now...I don't like the fact that Israel went out on a mission this morning and I am going to see if I can stop it.”

The president said “Israel, as soon as we made a deal...came out and dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I've never seen before.”

Trump said in a post on TruthSocial that Israel “is not going to attack Iran” and that all planes will turn around “while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave.’” In another post shortly after, Trump posted that Iran will “NEVER REBUILD” its nuclear facilities.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”

In a post on X, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote: “I have instructed the IDF, in coordination with the Prime Minister, to respond forcefully to the violation of the ceasefire by Iran through intense strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran.”

“The Iranian regime has severely violated the ceasefire declared by the President of the United States and launched missiles toward Israel, and in accordance with the government's policy as determined—we will respond forcefully to any violation,” he added.

Iranian state media denied Israel’s claims that it launched a fresh round of aerial attacks after the ceasefire went into effect.

The Israeli Defense Forces accused Iran of violating the ceasefire between the two countries by launching another set of missiles toward northern Israel.

A short while later, the country’s Defense Minister Israel Katz told the Times of Israel he has instructed the IDF to “respond forcefully to Iran’s violation of the ceasefire with intense strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran.”

Israel confirmed it had agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Iran but warned that any violations by Tehran would draw a forceful response.

In a post on his Truth social platform, Trump wrote: “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!”

Iranian state media announced a ceasefire has been “imposed” on Israel after Iran’s “successful missile attacks,” and the TV anchor claimed that Trump had “pleaded” with Iran to do so.

The annoucement then cited Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X, who said: “As of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on any ceasefire...However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that Israel and Iran agreed to a “Complete and Total CEASEFIRE” in the next 24 hours, after days of exchanging air and missile strikes. The president offered no further details about what either side agreed to, but insisted both sides would “remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL.”

Trump said “hardly any damage was done,” while 13 of the missiles Iran fired were “knocked down” and one was “set free,” he wrote, making multiple inferences that there would be no escalation of the military conflict between Tehran and Washington, while also thanking Iran for “giving us early notice” of the counterstrikes.

Trump said Iran has “gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further hate,” writing “CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!” in the series of posts.

Officials at the Department of Defense confirmed to multiple outlets that Al Udeid Air Force base was targeted by short and medium-range ballistic missiles, but no casualties have been reported from the attack.

In televised remarks, the Iranian government took credit for the attack, which it called “a mighty and successful response” to the American strikes.

Iran filed missiles toward Al Udeid Air Force Base near Doha. Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, condemned the attack and said the nation’s air defenses “successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles.”

U.S. cities were on edge Monday morning, with Miami briefly shutting down its Metrorail after a “suspicious package” was found at Stephen P. Clark Government Center in Miami, requiring the building and the surrounding area to be evacuated, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office told Forbes, while the Miami Herald reported a bomb squad was called.

The Israeli military said it struck the routes leading up to Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility—which was targeted by U.S. bunker busters—“in order to obstruct access” to the site.

Russian President condemned the U.S. military’s strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling it an “absolutely unprovoked act of aggression against Iran; it has no basis or justification,” after meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow.

China has been as one of the more vocal critics of the U.S. strikes on Iran, with its foreign ministry saying the move “seriously violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and escalates tensions in the Middle East.”

According to NBC News, Iran sent a message to Trump through an intermediary during last week’s G7 summit, warning that it would activate sleeper-cells to carry out terror attacks inside the U.S.