 Defense &
National Security |
Defense &
National Security |
|
|
The latest Iran nuclear airstrike assessment |
The Trump administration is pressing back on a new intelligence assessment that contradicts President Trump's repeated assertions that U.S. airstrikes "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities last month. |
© Maxar Technologies via Associated Press |
Citing five current and former U.S. officials familiar with the latest assessment, NBC News reported Thursday that Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment site was mostly destroyed in the U.S. military operation, while two others — Isfahan and Natanz — may have only been set back by months and could resume operations. The Pentagon pushed back on this report. "The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Hill's sister network NewsNation. "President Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated," he added. "There's no doubt about that." The White House also pushed back on the latest NBC News report. Reports first surfaced last month, shortly after the U.S. launched its surprise attacks on Tehran's nuclear sites, that U.S. intelligence officials at the Defense Department found that the attacks did not destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure. The president and his allies forcefully pushed back on that assessment. NBC News reported that American and Israeli leaders have since discussed whether additional strikes on two less-damaged facilities could be necessary if Iran does not restart negotiations on a nuclear deal. Read the full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
|
|
How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future: |
|
|
Covert files gathered by the Soviet-era KGB regarding former President Kennedy’s 1963 assassination are on track to be revealed to the American public for the first time this fall, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said this week. “It’s information the Russian government was in charge of releasing, and I’m sure that you’ll see that information coming out here pretty soon,” Luna, who chairs … |
| |
|
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is seeking information from the Trump administration about what he called its “chilling expansion” of efforts to collect DNA from migrants, including children, as it carries out its sweeping immigration crackdown. “It appears the only basis for this DNA surveillance is to further the Trump administration's animus toward immigrants,” Wyden wrote in a letter to Department of Homeland … |
| |
|
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are in talks for an agreement in which the U.S. would buy Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from Washington, the Ukrainian leader told the New York Post. The "mega deal" would have Ukraine sharing its battle-tested drone technology and know-how from its three-year war with Russia, as the U.S. is seen as lagging in small military drone technology … |
| |
|
Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) slammed President Trump's push to reopen the historic Alcatraz prison near San Francisco as "the stupidest initiative put forth by this administration" on Thursday. |
|
|
Upcoming things we're watching in and around the defense world: |
- The Aspen Institute will hold its 2025 Security Forum with U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, former CIA Director David Petraeus, Senate Intelligence ranking member Mark Warner (R-Va.), Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
|
|
|
News we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Senate panel backs plans for $456 billion VA budget next year (Military Times)
- Naval Academy settles on shorter list of banned books as Pentagon panel weighs ultimate decision (Military.com)
|
|
|
Op-ed related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: |
|
|
You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 |
Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.
No comments:
Post a Comment