Israel-Iran live updates: U.S. strikes failed to destroy 'core pieces' of Tehran's nuclear program

U.S. rocket strikes did not wholly destruct Iran's cardinal atomic sites, an archetypal American appraisal from the Defense Intelligence Agency found, according to 3 radical acquainted with the study who spoke to NBC News.

"We were assuming that the harm was going to beryllium overmuch much important than this appraisal is finding," 1 of the 3 sources told NBC News. "This appraisal is already uncovering that these halfway pieces are inactive intact. That's a atrocious motion for the wide program." 

The appraisal besides recovered that the U.S. strikes acceptable Iran's atomic programme backmost by astir 3 to six months. But Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed and Tehran's centrifuges stay mostly intact.

CNN archetypal reported the beingness of the report.

The appraisal was based connected U.S. Central Command's investigation of conflict harm from the bombings of 3 Iranian atomic facilities implicit the weekend. That investigation is ongoing.

The New York Times reported that the preliminary, classified study recovered the bombings did not illness underground buildings of the Iranian atomic sites.

The quality findings look to contradict some Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who person asserted that the strikes wholly "obliterated" the Iranian atomic sites.

Asked for remark by CNBC, the Pentagon shared a connection from Hegseth that, "Based connected everything we person seen — and I've seen it each — our bombing run obliterated Iran's quality to make atomic weapons."

"Our monolithic bombs deed precisely the close spot astatine each people — and worked perfectly," Hegseth said successful the statement. "The interaction of those bombs is buried nether a upland of rubble successful Iran; truthful anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is conscionable trying to undermine the President and the palmy mission."

Trump wrote connected Truth Social connected Monday, "The sites that we deed successful Iran were wholly destroyed, and everyone knows it."

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt told NBC News successful a connection that the "alleged appraisal is flat-out incorrect and was classified arsenic 'top secret' but was inactive leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser successful the quality community."

"The leaking of this alleged appraisal is simply a wide effort to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave combatant pilots who conducted a perfectly executed ngo to obliterate Iran's atomic program," Leavitt said.

She added: "Everyone knows what happens erstwhile you driblet fourteen 30,000 lb bombs perfectly connected their targets: full obliteration."

— Kevin Breuninger

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns that his state "will onslaught again" if Iran "thinks of rebuilding" its nuclear program.

"We destroyed the cardinal facilities successful Arak, Natanz, and Isfahan," Netanyahu says during remarks to the nation, NBC News reports.

He touts Israel's onslaught connected Iran arsenic "a historical victory" and says that his state would person "faced the information of annihilation" if it did not act.

He besides says Israel "has ne'er had a greater friend" than Trump, who helium says "joined our origin successful an unprecedented way."

"We indispensable not easiness up. Hamas indispensable beryllium defeated, and our hostages indispensable beryllium brought home," Netanyahu says, adding that Israel has "no volition of easing disconnected the state pedal."

— Erin Doherty

The classified House briefing connected the Middle East, primitively scheduled for today, is present acceptable to instrumentality spot connected Friday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says.

"Senior Administration officials volition contiguous the latest accusation pertaining to the concern involving Israel and Iran," helium says successful a post connected X.

Earlier, helium said the classified briefing was postponed "due to ongoing developments successful the Middle East."

"This determination reflects the request to guarantee that Members person timely and implicit accusation aligned with the existent circumstances," Johnson writes connected X.

— Erin Doherty

Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, says helium spoke with U.S. Pentagon main Pete Hegseth to convey Trump for taking enactment "against the Iranian atomic threat."

"I emphasized that Israel volition respect the ceasefire — arsenic agelong arsenic the different broadside does," Katz says successful an X post. "We agreed to deepen the adjacent U.S.-Israel information cooperation."

Katz writes that Hegseth "praised Israel and the IDF for the historical achievements made."

— Kevin Breuninger

Israel's Ben Gurion Airport is returning to mean operations, the country's airports authorization says.

"Restrictions connected the fig of incoming and outgoing flights, arsenic good arsenic the fig of passengers connected each flight, person been lifted," the Times of Israel reports from an Israel Airports Authority statement.

"In addition, restrictions connected the accomplishment of passengers and accompanying persons astatine the airports person been lifted," the connection continues.

Iran's airspace is besides partially open, according to formation monitoring institution FlightRadar24.

"Iranian airspace is present unfastened to planetary arrivals and departures to/from Tehran with anterior permission," FlightRadar24 wrote connected X.

— Erin Doherty

Several of the Iranian atomic sites struck by Israeli and U.S. missiles person sustained "extensive damage" to their uranium conversion and enrichment facilities, the caput of the International Atomic Energy Agency says.

"Our appraisal is that determination has been immoderate localized radioactive arsenic good arsenic chemic merchandise wrong the affected facilities that contained atomic worldly – chiefly uranium enriched to varying degrees," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said successful a press release.

Grossi said that "there has been nary study of accrued off-site radiation levels" oregon radiological interaction successful neighboring countries. And "crucially successful presumption of atomic safety, Iran's probe and powerfulness reactors were not targeted," helium added.

U.S. strikes astatine Iran's Natanz atomic tract created 2 interaction holes supra the subterranean halls that were utilized for enrichment, the IAEA merchandise said. "Based connected its cognition of what these halls contained, the IAEA assesses that this onslaught whitethorn person caused localized contamination and chemic hazards," the bureau said.

 — Kevin Breuninger

Israel has lifted war-related restrictions crossed the state that had banned nationalist gatherings, closed schools, shuttered each but indispensable businesses, and constricted aerial travel.

"Following a concern appraisal and support by Defense Minister Israel Katz, it has been decided that starting contiguous astatine [8 p.m. section time], the Home Front Command's antiaircraft guidelines volition beryllium updated," Israel Defense Forces said successful a statement.

As portion of these changes, "all areas of the state volition modulation to afloat operational enactment without restrictions," the IDF said.

- Dan Mangan

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slams the hold of the Senate's classified briefing connected Iran arsenic "outrageous," "evasive" and "derelict."

"This past infinitesimal postponement of our briefing is outrageous," helium tells reporters aft the briefing, primitively scheduled for today, was moved to Thursday, NBC News reports.

"It's evasive, it's derelict. They're bobbing and weaving and ducking," helium says.

The briefing is reportedly postponed to let for Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to instrumentality from the NATO acme and attend.

— Erin Doherty

Stocks are posting gains today, amid cautious optimism astir the Israel-Iran ceasefire.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up astir 500 points, oregon 1.1%, with the S&P 500 besides posting a 1.1% summation of astir 70 points and the Nasdaq Composite up astir 300 points, oregon 1.4%.

At slightest 18 stocks successful the S&P 500 are trading astatine caller 52-week highs today.

– Laya Neelakandan

Several members of Congress are questioning what has go of Iran's banal of enriched uranium successful the days since the U.S. damaged 3 atomic facilities with airstrikes and bombs.

Atomic vigor watchdogs estimation that Iran has astatine least 9 kilos of uranium enriched to 60%, a level that could comparatively easy beryllium further enriched to 90%, oregon weapons grade.

Republican Rep. Scott Perry, Penn., told CNN helium suspects Iran inactive has enriched uranium adjacent aft the American strikes. "I volition enactment it this way. I wouldn't beryllium amazed if immoderate of it inactive exists," helium said.

Perry told CNN's John Berman helium besides believed Iran was inactive "a violent regime."

"So aft these 12 days determination is inactive a violent authorities successful powerfulness with enriched uranium?" Berman asked.

 "That is perfectly true. Yeah, I deliberation that's a close characterization," said Perry.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal is besides acrophobic astir the menace that Iran's enriched uranium poses to the United States.

Blumenthal told NBC helium wants the medication to archer senators "how effectual the strikes against the Iranian atomic capableness person been. Where is the enriched uranium that seemingly was removed from Fordo?"  

"I judge profoundly that a atomic equipped Iran is simply a menace to the full world, including the United States, but confronting that menace requires a strategy arsenic good arsenic strength. I spot nary denotation of a coherent strategy here. The president needs to explicate to the American radical arsenic good arsenic to Congress what the strategy is," said Blumenthal.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is arguing that the War Powers Act, a Nixon-era instrumentality limiting the president's powerfulness to unilaterally wage war, is unconstitutional.

Johnson besides vowed that a pending solution to barroom U.S. subject enactment successful Iran nether that instrumentality volition not walk the House.

The Speaker told reporters that Trump's determination to bid strikes connected Iranian atomic targets implicit the play was "clearly" wrong his powers nether Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

He said helium agreed with scholars who judge that the War Powers Resolution of 1973 violates Article II.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, past week introduced a War Powers solution that would barroom the U.S. subject from "unauthorized hostilities" successful Iran. But Massie said Monday evening that helium would not beforehand his solution if the Iran-Israel ceasefire holds, Politico reported.

Read much astir Johnson's War Powers Act dilemma here.

— Kevin Breuninger

Vice Admiral Charles Cooper II, Trump's nominee to service arsenic commandant of U.S. Central Command, warns of an "emerging axis" among Iran, North Korea, Russia and China.

"We've surely seen the tactical implications of enactment from Iran to Russia," helium said during his confirmation proceeding earlier the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"We've seen tactical implications of Chinese companies providing sensors and weapons and components to Iran, who vessel them to the Houthis who sprout them astatine Americans," helium added.

"I deliberation we request to telephone those types of things retired more, but intelligibly that emerging foursome, that axis, is 1 that we request to wage attraction to."

— Erin Doherty

Oil prices person fallen sharply present that Trump says China tin support buying lipid from Iran, a motion that the U.S. is easing its maximum unit run connected the Islamic Republic successful the aftermath of a ceasefire with Israel.

Global benchmark Brent fell $4.14, oregon 5.79%, to $67.34 per tube by 11:55 a.m. ET. U.S. crude oil was past down $3.97, oregon 5.79%, to $65.54 a barrel. Prices closed 7% little connected Monday arsenic the lipid marketplace stake that the struggle successful the Middle East was winding down.

"China tin present proceed to acquisition Oil from Iran," Trump said successful a station connected his societal media level Truth Social. "Hopefully, they volition beryllium purchasing plentifulness from the U.S., also. It was my Great Honor to marque this happen!"

— Spencer Kimball

Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling the U.S.'s play rocket onslaught connected Iran atomic sites "unwise and unnecessary" successful a caller New York Times op-ed.

"Now that it's done, I precise overmuch anticipation it succeeded," Blinken, who served nether erstwhile President Joe Biden, wrote.

"I tin lone anticipation that we inflicted maximum harm — harm that gives the president the leverage helium needs to yet present the woody helium has truthful acold failed to achieve," helium wrote.

– Laya Neelakandan

A erstwhile Defense Department authoritative says the adjacent signifier successful the Iran-Israel struggle volition beryllium astatine the negotiating table.

Michèle Flournoy, WestExec Advisors co-founder and managing spouse and erstwhile Under Secretary of Defense for Policy successful the Obama administration, said the absorption present should beryllium connected putting unit connected some sides.

The cardinal is to measure however overmuch harm was really done to Iran's atomic programs and find whether Iran volition travel to the negotiating array "more earnestly than it did before," she told CNBC's Squawk Box.

"I recognize that we each privation to suspiration a large suspiration of alleviation contiguous with the ceasefire, but this is acold from implicit arsenic yet," she added.

– Laya Neelakandan

Two classified briefings for Congress connected Iran that were scheduled for this day person been postponed, NBC News' Frank Thorp reports.

The determination to postpone the briefings comes arsenic a fragile ceasefire appears to beryllium taking hold, and some Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are successful the Netherlands with Trump to be the NATO summit.

It was unclear erstwhile the House briefing would beryllium held, but the Senate briefing is scheduled for Thursday.

Thorp notes this volition beryllium the archetypal classified briefing since the U.S. strikes past play to which each members of Congress are invited, not conscionable a tiny radical of quality committee leaders and enactment leadership.

— Christina Wilkie

Trump is claiming successful a caller Truth Social post that Israel and Iran some desired a ceasefire aft much than a week of exchanging rocket fire.

"Both Israel and Iran wanted to halt the War, equally! It was my large grant to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!"

While U.S. bombing did important harm to 3 atomic facilities, it did not destruct Iran's enriched uranium. U.S. quality officials person admitted successful caller days they bash not cognize wherever overmuch of that worldly is being stored.

— Christina Wilkie