US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to hold a news conference on Thursday to offer a fresh assessment of strikes on Iran鈥檚 nuclear facilities, following a stinging row over how much American bombardment set back Tehran鈥檚 nuclear programme.
After waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites and retaliatory missile fire from Iran since June 13, the United States bombed three key Iranian atomic facilities at the weekend.
The extent of the damage in Iran, where Israel said it had acted to stop an imminent nuclear threat, has become the subject of profound disagreement in the United States.
An initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN, was said to have concluded that the strike did not destroy key components and that Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme was set back only months at most.
Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400 kilogramme of enriched uranium 鈥 which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country.
The US administration has hit back furiously, with Trump repeatedly saying the attack 鈥渙bliterated鈥 Iran鈥檚 nuclear facilities, including the key site of Fordo buried inside a mountain.
鈥淚 can tell you, the United States had no indication that that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strikes, as I also saw falsely reported,鈥 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
鈥淎s for what鈥檚 on the ground right now, it鈥檚 buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday evening,鈥 she said.
Trump said that Hegseth, whom he dubbed 鈥渨ar鈥 secretary, would hold a news conference at 8am (5pm PKT) on Thursday to 鈥渇ight for the dignity of our great American pilots鈥.
CIA chief John Ratcliffe said in a statement on Wednesday that 鈥渟everal key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years鈥.
The Israeli military said it had delivered a 鈥渟ignificant鈥 blow to Iran鈥檚 nuclear sites but that it was 鈥渟till early鈥 to fully assess the damage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that 鈥渨e have thwarted Iran鈥檚 nuclear project鈥.
鈥淎nd if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt,鈥 he said.
Nuclear talks?
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told Al Jazeera that 鈥渘uclear installations have been badly damaged, that鈥檚 for sure鈥.
After the war derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, Trump said Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff expressing hope 鈥渇or a comprehensive peace agreement鈥.
Trump told reporters that Israel and Iran were 鈥渂oth tired, exhausted鈥, before going on to say that talks were planned with Iran next week.
鈥淲e may sign an agreement. I don鈥檛 know,鈥 he added.
Iran has systematically denied seeking a nuclear weapon while defending its 鈥渓egitimate rights鈥 to the peaceful use of atomic energy.
It has also said it was willing to return to nuclear negotiations with Washington.
In both Iran and Israel, authorities have gradually lifted wartime restrictions.
Iran on Wednesday reopened the airspace over the country鈥檚 east, yet without allowing flights to and from the capital Tehran.
In the Israeli coastal hub of Tel Aviv, 45-year-old engineer Yossi Bin welcomed the ceasefire: 鈥淔inally, we can sleep peacefully. We feel better, less worried鈥 and I hope it stays that way.鈥
State funeral
While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, their 12-day conflict was by far the most destructive confrontation between them.
The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran鈥檚 health ministry said.
Iran鈥檚 attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to official figures.
According to Mehr news agency, the funeral of Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami, who was killed in an Israeli strike, will no longer be held in his hometown on Thursday.
Instead, a state funeral will be held on Saturday in Tehran for top commanders, including Salami and nuclear scientists, killed in the war.