INTERNACIONAL
Trump administration takes on new battle shutting down initial Iran strike assessments
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A leaked Defense Intelligence Agency report is casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s claim that recent U.S. airstrikes «completely and totally obliterated» three Iranian nuclear facilities, instead concluding the mission only set back Iran’s program by several months.
The report, published by CNN and The New York Times, comes just days after Trump approved the strikes amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. In a national address immediately following the operation, Trump declared the sites «completely and totally obliterated.»
While members of the Trump administration have waged a new war to discredit the initial report from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, multiple experts told Fox News Digital that there is too little information available right now to accurately determine how much damage the strikes did.
Piecing together a thorough intelligence assessment is complex and time-consuming, they said.
FBI INVESTIGATING IRAN STRIKE LEAKER, LEAVITT SAYS: ‘THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE’
Trump said Saturday that the U.S. completed a «very successful» strike against Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, saying that Iran’s nuclear enrichment installations have been «obliterated.» (Fox News)
Dan Shapiro, who previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for the Middle East and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said he didn’t put a lot of stock in both overly pessimistic or overly optimistic assessments that emerged quickly, and said that the initial assessment from DIA was likely only based on satellite imagery.
«That’s one piece of the puzzle of how you would really make this assessment,» Shapiro, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Fox News Digital. «You’d really want to have to test all the other streams of intelligence, from signals intelligence, human intelligence, other forms of monitoring the site, potentially visits by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, potentially visits by other people. So that’s going to take days to weeks to get a real assessment.»
«But I think it’s likely that if the munitions performed as expected, that significant damage was done, and would set back the program significantly,» Shapiro said.
Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday that initial battle damage assessments suggested «all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,» but he acknowledged that a final assessment would «take some time.»
Still, media reports based on the DIA report painted a different picture, and CNN’s reporting on the initial report said that Iran’s stash of enriched uranium was not destroyed in the strikes, citing seven people who had been briefed on the report. The findings were based on a battle damage assessment from U.S. Central Command, according to CNN.
Other members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, have subsequently pushed back on the DIA report’s conclusions, claiming that the report was labeled «low confidence.»
TRUMP SLAMS RUSSIA’S CASUAL THREAT TO ARM IRAN WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS: ‘THAT’S WHY PUTIN’S THE BOSS’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
The term is commonly used when labeling initial assessments, and means that conclusions are based on limited data, according to experts.
Retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, who previously served as the director for transnational threats at the National Security Council for former President Bill Clinton, said the low confidence description is commonly used in early assessments.
«Low confidence means the analyst is not sure of the accuracy of their assessment,» said Montgomery, now a senior fellow at the Washington think tank the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. «This is frequent when with a Quick Look 24-hour assessment like this one.»
Montgomery’s colleague, Craig Singleton, also a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that the low confidence label is used in cases with thin evidence and serves as a warning to policy-makers to seek additional information.
«Most importantly, low confidence assessments are usually issued when key facts have yet to be verified, which certainly applies in this case,» Singleton said.
Rob Greenway, former deputy assistant to the president on Trump’s National Security Council, told Fox News Digital that it will take one or two months to get a more thorough assessment with higher confidence.
IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER REITERATES ‘SERIOUS DAMAGE’ TO NUCLEAR FACILITIES, DESPITE AYATOLLAH’S COMMENTS
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a meeting alongside Vice President J.D. Vance in the Situation Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 21, 2025. (The White House/Handout via Reuters)
Greenway also said that the strikes were designed to create damage underground, which will complicate the assessment of damage, because it is not immediately available and will require multiple sources of intelligence, such as signals or human intelligence, to draw conclusions.
Israel had also previously conducted strikes targeting the sites, adding to the web of analysis that must be evaluated, Greenway said.
«Each of these are one piece of a much larger puzzle, and you’re trying to gauge the ultimate effect of the entirety of the puzzle, not just one particular strike,» said Greenway, now the director of the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation. «All of that means it’s going to take time in order to do it.»
Even so, Greenway said that the amount of ordnance dropped on the sites – including more than 14 30,000-lb. bombs – means that the targeted facilities have been so heavily compromised they are no longer serviceable.
«We were putting twice the amount of ordnance required to achieve the desired effect, just to make sure that we didn’t have to go back,» Greenway said.
EX-CLINTON OFFICIAL APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘COURAGEOUS’ IRAN CALL, DOUBTS HARRIS WOULD’VE HAD THE NERVE
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) sit in the Situation Room as they monitor the mission that took out three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, at the White House on June 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Daniel Torok/The White House via Getty Images)
«There’s virtually no mathematical probability in which either facility can be used again by Iran for the intended purpose, if at all, which again means that everything now is within Israel’s capability to strike if that’s required,» Greenway said.
And Michael Allen, a former National Security Council senior director in the George W. Bush administration, said that even though a final judgment from the intelligence community won’t be ready soon, the intelligence portrait will become «richer» in the coming days.
«Stuff is pouring in, and we’re out there collecting it, and they’re trying to hustle it to the White House as soon as possible,» Allen, now the managing director of advisory firm Beacon Global Strategies, told Fox News Digital.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that very few people had access to this report, and those who leaked it to the media will be held accountable as the FBI investigates who shared the document with the press.
«That person was irresponsible with it,» Leavitt told reporters Thursday. «And we need to get to the bottom of it. And we need to strengthen that process to protect our national security and protect the American public.»
INTERNACIONAL
Church of England names Sarah Mullally first woman Archbishop of Canterbury after Welby exit
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Church of England announced Friday that Sarah Mullally will become the next Archbishop of Canterbury, marking the first time a woman has been selected for the role.
Serving as the bishop of London since 2018, Mullally replaces former archbishop Justin Welby, who resigned last November after an independent investigation found he failed to act after learning about serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND HEAD RESIGNS AFTER FAILING TO REPORT DECADES-LONG SEXUAL ABUSE BY SUMMER CAMP VOLUNTEER
Britain’s new Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, Sarah Mullally, speaks following the announcement of her posting, at Canterbury Cathedral in south east England on October 3, 2025. (BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
She will be the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury after 105 male predecessors.
Mullally will be known as the Archbishop of Canterbury-designate until her election is confirmed at St. Paul’s Cathedral in January 2026, according to the church. A service of installation will take place in March at Canterbury Cathedral.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Church of England is the mother church of the Anglican Communion, which has more than 85 million members in 165 countries.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
united kingdom,religion,world
Los «dos» Hamas
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted Friday on two federal charges alleging that he issued a false statement to Congress and obstructed justice, previously has called for those who lie under oath to face consequences.
For example, Comey once railed against lifestyle icon Martha Stewart, who was convicted of misleading federal investigators, and said her case served as an example to deter others from lying to officials.
«The Stewart experience reminded me that the justice system is an honor system,» Comey wrote in his book, «A Higher Loyalty,» released in 2018. «We really can’t always tell when people are lying or hiding documents, so when we are able to prove it, we simply must do so as a message to everyone. People must fear the consequences of lying in the justice system or the system can’t work.»
MARTHA STEWART’S ANGER AT JAMES COMEY FOR MAKING HER ‘TROPHY’ CRIMINAL IS ‘UNDERSTANDABLE,’ ATTORNEY SAYS
«There once was a time when most people worried about going to hell if they violated an oath taken in the name of God,» Comey wrote. «That divine deterrence has slipped away from our modern cultures. In its place, people must fear going to jail…To protect the institution of justice, and reinforce a culture of truth-telling, she had to be prosecuted.»
Comey served as the lead prosecutor who indicted Stewart on charges of obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI in 2003, which stemmed from the FBI’s insider trading investigation into Stewart’s friend’s company, ImClone.
Stewart ultimately was convicted on four counts of obstructing justice and lying to investigators. She was sentenced to five months in prison.
Former FBI Director James Comey once railed against lifestyle icon Martha Stewart, who was convicted of misleading federal investigators, and said her case served as an example to deter others from lying to officials. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Comey’s statement in his book aligns with those he made at the time. After the charges were filed against Stewart in 2003, Comey said Stewart’s «case is about lying — lying to the FBI, lying to the SEC and investors.»
«That is conduct that will not be tolerated. Martha Stewart is being prosecuted not because of who she is, but what she did,» Comey said at a news conference in 2003.
Stewart took a swipe at Comey in her Netflix documentary called «Martha,» which was released October 2024.
«It was so horrifying to me that I had to go through that to be a trophy for these idiots in the U.S. Attorney’s office,» Stewart said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Comey for comment and has yet to receive a reply.
Trump–Comey vendetta back in the spotlight
Meanwhile, Comey’s feud with President Donald Trump is also back in the spotlight following Comey’s indictment.
The two men have gone head-to-head against each other for years, dating back to Trump’s first administration amid the FBI’s investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and they have continued to trade barbs during Trump’s second term.
While Trump has lobbed out terms like «sick person» and «untruthful slime ball,» Comey also has hurled criticism against the president and said he’s not fit for office.
HOW JAMES COMEY’S INDICTMENT COULD GO SOUTH FOR THE DOJ
Former FBI Director James Comey is seen at a hearing on Capitol Hill in 2017. (Associated Press)
For example, Comey described Trump as someone who «lies constantly about matters big and small and insists the American people believe it,» and questioned whether Trump embodied U.S. values during an interview in April 2018 with ABC News ahead of the release of his book, «A Higher Loyalty.»
«I don’t think he’s medically unfit to be president — I think he’s morally unfit to be president … that’s not a policy statement,» Comey told ABC News. «Again, I don’t care what your views are on guns, or immigration, or taxes. There is something more important than that, that should unite all of us, and that is our president must embody respect and adhere to the values that are at the core of this country, the most important being truth. This president is not able to do that.»
That same month Comey attracted the ire of Trump, who accused Comey of being a «terrible» FBI director and that it was his «great honor» to fire Comey.
«James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR. Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted. He lied to Congress under OATH,» Trump said in a social media post in April 2018.
COMEY DENIES CHARGES, DECLARES ‘I AM NOT AFRAID’
President Donald Trump and former FBI Director James Comey have had a longstanding feud. (Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images and photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«He is a weak and untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI…It was my great honor to fire James Comey!» Trump said.
Trump fired Comey in May 2017, just after Comey revealed in March 2017 before the House Intelligence Committee that the FBI had launched a criminal investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election.
At the time, Trump said that he had ousted Comey due to his handling of an investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
Comey, who previously identified as a Republican, went on to endorse former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. He also called for «everyone who cares about the rule of law and America’s indispensable role in the world» to get behind former Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee during the 2024 election when she went up against Trump.
TRUMP SAYS COMEY ‘PLACED A CLOUD OVER THE ENTIRE NATION’ WITH CROSSFIRE HURRICANE, REACTS TO INDICTMENT
President Donald Trump said at the time that he had ousted FBI Director James Comey due to his handling of an investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
«Kamala Harris made me feel like it’s finally morning in America,» Comey wrote in a post on X in August 2024.
More recently, Comey and Trump sparred after the former FBI director posted a photo on Instagram in May depicting shells arranged on a beach to spell out «86 47.» The term «86» can mean getting rid of something or someone, and Trump is the 47th president.
Following backlash from Trump allies who interpreted Comey’s post as a threat to remove Trump, Comey said that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind and he opposed «violence of any kind.»
Still, Trump didn’t buy Comey’s explanation.
«He knew exactly what that meant,» Trump told Fox News. «A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination.»
George Stephanopoulos sits down with former FBI director James Comey for an interview in a «20/20» special on April 15, 2018. (Ralph Alswang/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Following Comey’s indictment, Trump said in a social media post Friday that Comey is «one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to,» and labeled the former FBI director a «DIRTY COP.»
The charges against Comey are tied to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020 regarding the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Meanwhile, Comey has denied the allegations leveled in the charges against him, and said that he is «not afraid.»
«My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,» Comey said in an Instagram video. «We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right.»
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
white house,fbi,donald trump,james comey,justice department
Con el apoyo de exaliados del oficialismo, el Senado volvió a rechazar los vetos de Milei y dejó aislada a LLA
Caputo blanqueó el «número mágico» que quiere para el dólar y aguantar hasta las elecciones
Gaby Sabatini no saludó a Oriana Sabatini por su embarazo y se recrudeció la guerra familiar
Church of England names Sarah Mullally first woman Archbishop of Canterbury after Welby exit
Elecciones 2025 en Tucumán: quiénes serán los candidatos a diputados nacionales
Cuenta DNI: uno por uno, cuáles son los descuentos y beneficios de octubre 2025
Kicillof habló del triple femicidio y le pidió a Milei que convoque a los gobernadores: “El narcotráfico afecta a toda la Argentina”
Cristina Kirchner chicaneó a Javier Milei: “La Recesión Avanza y los dólares se te siguen yendo”
El desolador llanto de Thiago Medina por sus hijas tras despertar del coma, a 17 días del accidente: “Se largó a llorar cuando le hablaron de las nenas”
Mario Massaccesi casó a Manu Jove y su colega de TN: los desconocidos detalles de la boda
POLITICA2 días agoCristina Kirchner chicaneó a Javier Milei: “La Recesión Avanza y los dólares se te siguen yendo”
- CHIMENTOS3 días ago
Mario Massaccesi casó a Manu Jove y su colega de TN: los desconocidos detalles de la boda
- POLITICA1 día ago
Axel Kicillof pide deuda por US$1045 millones y pone a prueba la cohesión del PJ en la Legislatura
