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Tehran: Even though a U.S. intelligence study concluded that American attacks only held back Tehran’s nuclear development by a few months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed a “historic victory” over Iran.

On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Iran and Israel reached a ceasefire agreement, ending 12 days of tit-for-tat attacks, after US President Donald Trump’s weekend addition of bunker-busting bombs that he claimed damaged important Iranian nuclear installations.

However, according to a confidential early U.S. intelligence analysis, American attacks on Iran only caused a few months of delay in the country’s nuclear development.

On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Mr. Trump denied the assertion, writing on his Truth Social account that “THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!”

Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary for the White House, had earlier acknowledged that the evaluation was accurate but called it “flat-out wrong.”

Following the truce, Mr. Netanyahu told the country that “we have thwarted Iran’s nuclear project.”

“And we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt to rebuild it by anyone in Iran,” he said.

Israel claimed that the goal of its June 13 bombing operation was to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, a goal Tehran has continuously rejected.

According to Israel’s military, the attacks had “delayed” Iran’s nuclear development by years.

Tuesday (June 24, 2025) saw Mr. Trump scold both parties for early breaches of the ceasefire; Israel declared it had stopped additional attacks, while Tehran said it would uphold the terms of the agreement provided Israel did the same.

Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, said that his nation will continue to “assert its legitimate rights” to the peaceful use of atomic energy, but he was open to resuming talks over its nuclear program.

Information leak

According to sources acquainted with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s conclusions, U.S. media reported on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, that the American attacks did not completely destroy Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile or centrifuges.

According to the article, the strikes blocked access to certain facilities without demolishing subterranean structures.

“The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program,” White House Press Secretary Leavitt said in a social media response.

Even though Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war for many years, their 12-day combat was by far their most damaging encounter.

Waves of Iranian missile fire were directed against Israel after Israeli attacks struck military and nuclear facilities, killing scientists and high-ranking military officials, as well as civilian areas.

In the end, the US used bunker-busting bombs, which Israel does not have, to hit Iranian nuclear installations underground. The Iranians then retaliated by attacking the biggest US military installation in the Middle East.

Mr. Trump dismissed that reaction as “weak,” praising Tehran for providing prior warning and revealing the ceasefire’s parameters a few hours later.

“Everyone is worn out.”

The idea of a ceasefire was supported by several Israelis.

“Everyone is worn out. All we want is some peace of mind,” Tammy Shel, a resident of Tel Aviv, said. “For us, the Palestinians, the Iranian people, and everyone else in the region.”

People in Iran were still unsure whether the calm would last.

“I really don’t know… about the ceasefire, but honestly, I don’t think things will return to normal,” Amir, 28, told AFP over the phone after fleeing Tehran to the edge of the Caspian Sea.

The health ministry reports that at least 610 people were killed and another 4,700 were injured in Israeli attacks on Iran.

According to rescuers and government data, 28 people have died as a result of Iran’s strikes against Israel.

The ceasefire was met with cautious hope by the international community.

While Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, said that Russia hoped “that this will be a sustainable ceasefire,” Saudi Arabia and the European Union praised Mr. Trump’s declaration.

However, in the wake of the attacks on its nuclear facilities, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a warning that there was a “heightened” possibility that Iran would try to covertly enrich uranium.

Israel’s military leader, Eyal Zamir, said that Israel will now return its attention to Gaza after the announcement of the ceasefire.

In addition to the Iran ceasefire, the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli opposition, and the primary organization for the relatives of Israeli prisoners demanded a truce in Gaza.