{"id":2549888,"date":"2026-01-23T22:53:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T03:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-irans-nuclear-weapon-ambitions-were-not-wiped-out-3\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T22:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T03:55:14","slug":"pentagon-irans-nuclear-weapon-ambitions-were-not-wiped-out-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-irans-nuclear-weapon-ambitions-were-not-wiped-out-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon: Iran&#8217;s nuclear weapon ambitions were not wiped out"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpentagon-irans-nuclear-weapon-ambitions-were-not-wiped-out-3%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2549888&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Pentagon&#8217;s newly released National Defense Strategy warns that Iran intends to rebuild its conventional forces and has left open the possibility of pursuing a nuclear weapon, especially if it refuses meaningful negotiations. The assessment follows Operation Midnight Hammer, in which U.S. forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites last June; U.S. officials said the strikes set Iran back one to two years, though intelligence assessments found less damage than some public claims. Rising U.S. military deployments to the Middle East &#8211; including the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and additional F-15Es &#8211; have accompanied threats of intervention after Iran&#8217;s harsh crackdown on nationwide protests, during which Tehran reported more than 3,000 deaths amid disputed counts. Iran warned it would respond forcefully to further attacks and previously launched missiles at Al-Udeid Air Base after the strikes; U.S.<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >evacuations earlier prevented casualties<\/a>. The NDS reiterates that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a priority and also emphasizes homeland defense and vigilance toward China&#8217;s accelerating military buildup.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Pentagon: Iran&rsquo;s nuclear weapon ambitions remain despite Midnight Hammer airstrikes<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2481268\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\">Iranian<\/a> leaders not only &ldquo;intend&rdquo; to rebuild their conventional military forces, but they are open to &ldquo;the possibility&rdquo; of trying to obtain a nuclear weapon, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pentagon\">Pentagon&rsquo;s<\/a> newly released National Defense Strategy.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon&rsquo;s assessment of the Iranian regime comes more than six months after the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/military\">U.S. military<\/a> carried out Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting three of the country&rsquo;s nuclear facilities. It also comes as the United States increases its presence in the region as Iran cracks down on nationwide protests.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4432290\/us-first-drug-boat-strike-of-2026\/\">US launches first drug boat strike of 2026, killing two and leaving one survivor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4431502\/syrian-fighting-spotlights-existing-us-troop-presence\/\">Syrian infighting spotlights existing US troop presence<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4431204\/trump-downplays-nato-article-5-commitment-post-9-11-sparks-backlash\/\">Britain leads condemnation of Trump&#8217;s NATO comments: &#8216;Insulting and appalling&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Although Iran has suffered severe setbacks over recent months, it appears intent on reconstituting its conventional military forces. Iran&rsquo;s leaders have also left open the possibility that they will try again to obtain a nuclear weapon, including by refusing to engage in meaningful negotiations,&rdquo; the National Defense Strategy said.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon released the NDS, a guiding document that explains how the department will implement the National Security Strategy, on Friday evening.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Air Force carried out the bombings of three Iranian nuclear facilities last June during the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\">Israel<\/a>-Iran 12-day war. In the aftermath of the strikes, President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and Secretary of War <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\">Pete Hegseth<\/a> insisted the facilities were &ldquo;totally obliterated,&rdquo; while a preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency concluded there was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3453369\/pete-hegseth-pentagon-intelligence-leak-investigation\/\">less damage<\/a> than publicly indicated.<\/p>\n<p>About two weeks after the bombing, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said,&nbsp;&ldquo;We have degraded their program by one to two years at least.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. is currently increasing its presence in the Middle East after Trump threatened to intervene militarily in Iran&rsquo;s crackdown on protests nationwide earlier this month. Amid an intentional internet blackout, Iran&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-irans-nuclear-weapon-ambitions-were-not-wiped-out\/\" title=\"Pentagon: ...s ... ambitions were not wiped out\">security forces allegedly killed thousands<\/a> of protesters, though tallies have not been confirmed.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">The&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iranian<\/a>&nbsp;government announced earlier this week that the anti-government&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/protests\/\">protests<\/a>&nbsp;came<\/span> to an end after 25 days, and state television reported that 3,117 people were killed during that time, though human rights groups have warned the death toll could be much higher.<\/p>\n<p>Trump warned that &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4416829\/trump-cancels-talks-iran-delegation-protests-death-toll-hits-thousands\/\">HELP IS ON ITS WAY<\/a>,&rdquo; but ultimately said that&nbsp;Iran&rsquo;s apparent decision to halt roughly 800 executions last week had a &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/search?q=washignton+examiner+trump+%22big+impact%22&amp;sca_esv=20541e4f21a9d7f7&amp;rlz=1C5GCCM_enUS1187US1188&amp;biw=1565&amp;bih=670&amp;aic=0&amp;ei=qwhxadPUJfSr5NoP9pGf2Qg&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiT1rKUkJ2SAxX0FVkFHfbIJ4sQ4dUDCBE&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=washignton+examiner+trump+%22big+impact%22&amp;gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiJndhc2hpZ250b24gZXhhbWluZXIgdHJ1bXAgImJpZyBpbXBhY3QiSIMaUMwOWO4YcAJ4AJABAJgBYaAB5QeqAQIxNLgBA8gBAPgBAZgCA6ACVMICCBAAGLADGO8FwgIHEAAYgAQYDcICBhAAGA0YHsICCBAAGAgYDRgemAMA4gMFEgExIECIBgGQBgKSBwEzoAevIbIHATG4B0vCBwMwLjPIBweACAA&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp\">big impact<\/a>&rdquo; on his decision not to approve military action, even though an Iranian official <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4431280\/iranian-prosecutor-denies-canceling-800-executions-as-trump-claimed\/\">disputed what happened<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. dispatched an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, to the region from the Pacific, and increased its air power as well with the deployment of a dozen F-15Es assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath, U.K.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case,&rdquo; Trump said on Air Force One Thursday night, adding that &ldquo;we have an armada heading that direction and maybe we won&rsquo;t have to use it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iranian<\/a>&nbsp;Foreign Minister&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4423857\/world-economic-forum-pulls-davos-invitation-iran-amid-deadly-protests\/\">Abbas Araghchi<\/a>&nbsp;wrote in a&nbsp;<em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/opinion\/irans-regime-defends-its-crackdown-46a2f59a?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqcmj-7mVvOb-31sIfRLfW5c5y10XUjnBVAYlAI2y8hx3dm27Xz_WM6PgHKtO1M%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6970f5c8&amp;gaa_sig=GVw89iGiCQ4tOZyYrytY5-QAv-Zs3S9U8YQ6zVOei-tfFor_NSSys8AyV2iZU52xyM5Y75JFY4SPoaVhTB4Zuw%3D%3D\">op-ed<\/a>&nbsp;this week that Iran will not show the same &ldquo;restraint&rdquo; it showed after the U.S. strikes on their nuclear facilities, &ldquo;our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>After the U.S. strikes, Iranian forces launched short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles at&nbsp;Al-Udeid&nbsp;Air Base in Qatar, the largest American military base in the Middle East. The U.S. was able to evacuate most of the personnel ahead of the retaliatory operation because Iran intentionally telegraphed it to ensure it wouldn&rsquo;t further escalate the war. No U.S. personnel were injured or killed.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4418434\/qatar-readies-possible-iranian-military-action-targeting-us-forces-al-udeid-air-base\/\">evacuated some personnel<\/a> from Al Udeid earlier this month due to heightened tensions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Trump has consistently made clear that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons,&rdquo; the NDS said.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4415032\/what-are-trump-military-options-iran-protests\/\">WHAT ARE TRUMP&rsquo;S MILITARY OPTIONS FOR IRAN?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The NDS, like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of ...\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">national security strategy<\/a>, identified the defense of the homeland as the dominant priority, and that has been on display during the first year of the administration. Over the last year, the Department has taken on a larger role in securing the southern border and is now in the planning stages for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-irans-nuclear-weapon-ambitions-were-not-wiped-out-2\/\" title=\"Pentagon: ...s ... ambitions were not wiped out\">comprehensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/adm-davidson-thaad-not-enough-to-contain-chinese-aggression\/\" title=\"Adm. Davidson: THAAD not enough to contain Chinese aggression\">air defense system<\/a><\/a>. Trump named the Golden Dome, while the administration sought to acquire Greenland, arguing its location makes it essential for the air defense system.<\/p>\n<p>The document also explains that the U.S. does not seek to &ldquo;dominate&hellip; strangle or humiliate&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\">China<\/a>, but it wants to &ldquo;prevent anyone, including China, from being able to dominate us or allies&rdquo; in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Even with the emphasis on diplomacy between the two military powers, the NDS acknowledged that the department has to be &ldquo;clear-eyed and realistic about the speed, scale, and quality of China&rsquo;s historic military buildup.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pentagon: Iran may still seek nuclear weapons<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2671,"featured_media":2549889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-collage-d8406q6i9-1769222230328-e1769223623389.jpg?1769205697&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[57682,57471,50611,71814,71815],"class_list":["post-2549888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-iran-nuclear-program","tag-middle-east-tensions","tag-national-security-2","tag-nuclear-proliferation","tag-pentagon-assessment"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-collage-d8406q6i9-1769222230328-e1769223623389.jpg?1769205697&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2549888"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2549892,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549888\/revisions\/2549892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2549889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2549888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2549888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2549888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}