Iran's nuclear program suffered limited damage in new war strikes: Report

Hegseth, Caine provide urgent update on Iran war

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine provided an urgent update on the Iran conflict amid escalating hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz. 

Iran’s nuclear program is in the same position as it was before the ongoing war, U.S. intelligence sources told Reuters. 

Reuters reported that assessments showed Iran’s nuclear program has suffered limited new damage in the two months since the war began. 

Iran nuclear program

FILE - A picture taken on November 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, during an official ceremony to kick-start works on a second reactor at the facility. (Photo by Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images)

The backstory:

President Donald Trump has said one of the major reasons he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons.

"You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump reiterated Tuesday while signing a proclamation. "You can’t let a bunch of lunatics have a nuclear weapon or the world would be in trouble."

The U.S. intervened in attacks between Israel and Iran in June of 2025, attacking three Iranian nuclear sites. Analysts estimated that summer that Iran would need a year to build a nuclear weapon if leaders decided to pursue that path, Reuters reported. 

And Reuters’ sources say that timeline remains the same today, despite the ongoing war. 

Dig deeper:

Reuters reported this suggests destroying or removing Iran’s remaining stockpile of highly enriched uranium is what may be needed to impact their program.

The other side:

Iran has long maintained its program is peaceful, though it enriched uranium at near-weapons-grade levels of 60%.

What they're saying:

Last week, Iran’s supreme leader defiantly vowed to protest their nuclear and missile capabilities in a statement read by a state television anchor. 

War in Iran

Sec Hegseth: Ceasefire with Iran is not over

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said that the fragile ceasefire with Iran is still in effect. LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow discusses the latest developments in the Middle East with Jason Brodsky, the current policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran. 

Meanwhile:

Last week, the Pentagon's chief financial officer, Jules W. Hurst III told Congress during a hearing the war has cost an estimated $25 billion to date, mostly on munitions.

On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ceasefire remained in effect, even as the U.S. began efforts to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.