Final battle damage assessment of US strikes on Iran will be key in US push for Iran nuclear deal

(CNN) As the Trump administration looks to quickly pivot from military strikes to a diplomatic deal on Iran’s nuclear program, the final military and intelligence assessment on the recent US strikes will be critical in informing what the Trump administration needs to accomplish in future Iran negotiations.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will need to use that final battle damage assessment – including a detailed summary of the facilities’ damage and the locale of the nuclear material – to help formulate the US strategy for diplomatic efforts to completely halt the regime’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon in the future, current and former US officials explained.

“You’re not going to the negotiation assuming that the other side is going to tell you everything you need to know about the state of their program,” explained Pranay Vaddi, a former senior official for nonproliferation at the National Security Council.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/28/politics/damage-assessment-us-strikes-iran