The White House has renewed its insistence that U.S. airstrikes last June destroyed Iran’s nuclear program, even as senior officials warn that Tehran may be close to acquiring material suitable for a nuclear weapon.
The strikes, carried out in June 2025 and known as Operation Midnight Hammer, targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities during a 12-day war initiated by Israel.
Eight months later, questions about the extent of the damage — and Iran’s current capabilities — have resurfaced as Washington and Tehran prepare for further negotiations.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the operation was an “overwhelmingly successful mission” and that the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program had been verified by President Donald Trump and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
She added that the president remains committed to preventing Iran from ever rebuilding a program that could threaten the United States or its allies.
However, recent remarks from Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, appeared to signal urgency.
“They are probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material, and that’s really dangerous,” Witkoff said.
Before the June conflict, Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, a level below weapons grade but significantly higher than limits set under a 2015 multilateral agreement.
U.S. intelligence assessments in March stated that Iran was “not building a nuclear weapon.”
The Pentagon has publicly said the strikes set Iran’s program back by one to two years.
IAEA inspectors have not been able to access Iranian nuclear sites since the attack.
President Trump has repeatedly declared that the strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, a claim he has reiterated for months.
Yet his administration has in recent days emphasized the potential nuclear threat while leaving open the possibility of further military action.
“President Trump’s first option is always diplomacy,” Leavitt said.
“But as he has shown, he is willing to use the lethal force of the United States military if necessary.”
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and has said it would accept minimal uranium enrichment under strict IAEA supervision in exchange for sanctions relief.
The United States has maintained that it seeks zero enrichment.
A third round of talks this year is expected as both sides attempt to avert another escalation.