US administration hits back at leaked intelligence report suggesting strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities only set programme back by a few months
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
Donald Trump’s administration has cited “new intelligence” to support its initial claim of complete success of the US’s weekend attacks on Iran, while criticising a leaked intelligence assessment that suggested Tehran’s nuclear programme had been set back by only a few months.
US senators are also set to meet with top national security officials on Thursday as many question President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites — and whether those strikes were ultimately successful. The classified briefing, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday and was delayed, also comes as the Senate is expected to vote this week on a resolution that would require congressional approval if Trump decides to strike Iran again.
Donald Trump has weighed in on ally Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-running corruption trial, saying in a social media post that the trial was a “witch hunt” and should be cancelled. “Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land,” Trump said on Wednesday night, using a nickname for the Israeli leader.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Politico on Wednesday that Iran is “much further away from a nuclear weapon” after a US strike on Iran’s three main nuclear sites over the weekend.
There is a chance that much of Iran’s highly enriched uranium survived Israeli and US attacks because it may have been moved by Tehran soon after the first strikes, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.
Trump said the US will hold talks with Iran next week, with a possible agreement on the table about Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The US president said that Israel and Iran are “tired” but the conflict between the two countries could start again.
Speaking alongside the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, Trump compared the US strikes on Iran to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying: “This was essentially the same thing: that ended that war; this ended the war.”
Mark Rutte defended Donald Trump’s swearing outburst on Tuesday when commenting on the Israel-Iran war. “Daddy sometimes has to use strong language,” Rutte told reporters.
France is conducting its own analysis on damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities after US and Israeli strikes, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on Wednesday.
Iranian authorities are pivoting from a ceasefire with Israel to intensify an internal security crackdown across the country with mass arrests, executions and military deployments, particularly in the restive Kurdish region, according to officials and activists.
Iran’s parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, state-affiliated news outlet Nournews reported. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf was quoted by state media as saying Iran would accelerate its civilian nuclear programme.
