Middle East Crisis USA vs Iran

Sources: Intercepted Iranian call suggests limited damage

According to intercepted communications between senior Iranian officials, the US strikes last weekend appear to have been less devastating than expected, four sources with insight into the US administration told the Washington Post.

The call obtained by the US was intended to be private. Several Iranian government officials speculated on why the US attack was not as extensive as they had previously thought, according to the information.

The newspaper writes that the intelligence contradicts the president's words that Iran's nuclear program was completely destroyed in the attacks. White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt hits back at the information and questions the ability of "anonymous Iranian officials" to assess the damage.

IAEA Chief: Iran Can Probably Enrich Again Within Months

Iran will likely be able to start enriching uranium again to some extent within a few months, despite the American and Israeli attacks on the country's nuclear facilities. This is what Rafael Grossi, head of the UN Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, said in an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation".

According to Grossi, some parts of the facilities are probably relatively undamaged, even though the damage is generally very extensive. He also said that it is still unclear where the 400 kilograms of uranium that Iran has already enriched to 60 percent are.

- Some of it may have been destroyed during the attacks, but some may have been moved. We need to get clarity, he said.

The White House has said several times that Iran's nuclear program has been completely destroyed after the attacks and that there is no sign that the enriched uranium has been moved.

Expert: US attack on Iran a sign of how little influence Europe has

The fact that the US attacked Iran without notifying its allies in Europe, who have also called for restraint, is a sign of how little influence the continent has in the Middle East. This is what Sanam Vakil, a Middle East expert at the Chatham House think tank, tells Politico.

The three European powers France, Germany and Britain met Iran together with the EU at a meeting in Geneva to discuss an agreement just days before the US bombs fell on three nuclear facilities.

– Europe could not offer any real incentives or guarantees, says Vakil.

Several European ministers stated after the operation that they had not been warned in advance.

The newspaper reports that the humiliation was greatest for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who predicted before the attack that the US would not intervene in the conflict.