(MENAFN) Newly intercepted communications between top Iranian officials reportedly suggest that the recent U.S. military strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure resulted in less destruction than originally projected, according to reports.

The classified intelligence, based on internal conversations, revealed Iranian leaders expressing confusion over why the attacks—ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump—were not more impactful. These insights, as stated by sources familiar with the matter, point to outcomes that fell short of U.S. expectations.

However, a high-ranking U.S. intelligence official cautioned against drawing broad conclusions from a single piece of intercepted data, stating that one call alone does not provide a comprehensive view of the situation.

Despite these internal assessments, Trump, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other senior officials, has continued to claim that the airstrikes “completely obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has acknowledged substantial damage but emphasized that many critical materials had already been relocated prior to the strikes, which helped prevent more lasting setbacks to the program.

Trump dismissed these claims outright, declaring: "They did not move anything. They did not think it was going to be actually doable what we did."

Early U.S. intelligence analyses, as noted by various outlets, suggested the strikes might have delayed Iran’s nuclear progress by only a few months. The White House, however, disagrees with that assessment. CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that "new intelligence" indicates the damage inflicted was significant and will take years for Iran to recover from.

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