Israel says Iran was racing toward a bomb. US intelligence says it was years away
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Westbound Reservation Road closed after vehicle hits pedestrian near Marina, police say
A vehicle hit a pedestrian late Monday night, forcing officers to close a portion of Reservation Road. Police did not provide a condition of the victim. Police are asking people to avoid the area until the investigation is complete.
Police did not provide a condition of the victim, however the CHP Traffic Log appears to indicate a “VEH VS PED/ 1144” which is normally a CHP code for this being a deadly collision. CHP Dispatchers would not confirm this information available publicly on their traffic log.
All westbound traffic on Reservation Road from Blanco to Imjin are being diverted onto Research Drive from Blanco.
Police are asking people to avoid the area until the investigation is complete.
No estimated time for reopening the road was provided by police.
Israel says Iran was racing toward a nuclear bomb. US says it was years away
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When Israel launched its series of strikes against Iran last week, it also issued a number of dire warnings about the country’s nuclear program, suggesting Iran was fast approaching a point of no return in its quest to obtain nuclear weapons and that the strikes were necessary to preempt that outcome.
But US intelligence assessments had reached a different conclusion – not only was Iran not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, it was also up to three years away from being able to produce and deliver one to a target of its choosing, according to four people familiar with the assessment.
Now, after days of Israeli airstrikes, US intelligence officials believe that so far, Israel may have set back Iran’s nuclear program by only a matter of months, according to one of those people, a US official. Even as Israel has done significant damage to Iran’s facility at Natanz, which houses centrifuges necessary to enrich uranium, a second, heavily fortified enrichment site at Fordow has remained effectively untouched.
Israel lacks the capability to damage Fordow without specific US weapons and aerial support, defense experts say.
“Israel can hover over those nuclear facilities, render them inoperable, but if you really want to dismantle them it’s either a US military strike or a deal,” said Brett McGurk, a former top diplomat to the Middle East under the Trump and Biden administrations and a CNN analyst.
That raises a key dilemma for the Trump administration, which is struggling to avoid becoming entangled in a costly, complex war in the Middle East.
Although President Donald Trump has made clear that he does not want to involve the US in Israel’s efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the administration recognizes that the only way Israel can knock out Iran’s nuclear program is with American military assistance, sources told CNN over the weekend – in particular, US bombs capable of damaging underground facilities and the B-2 bombers that carry them.
It’s a tightrope that has led to debate among the more isolationist members of the president’s advisers and some of Trump’s more hawkish Republican allies – as well as some hedging from the president.
“We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” Trump told ABC News on Sunday morning.
Trump, speaking from the G7 Summit in Canada on Monday, urged Israel and Iran to begin talks “before it’s too late.”
US Central Command, responsible for American military operations in the Middle East, has conveyed a greater sense of urgency than the civilian intelligence community when it comes to Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
In the lead-up to Israel’s latest attack, Central Command had endorsed a more dire timeline, believing Iran could obtain a usable nuclear weapon more quickly if it were to sprint towards that goal, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
In recent weeks, some US military leaders, including US Central Command chief Gen. Michael Kurilla, have requested more resources to defend and support Israel as it continues to trade fire with Iran – although not to help it launch offensive attacks.
Smoke rises from an oil storage facility after it appeared to have been struck by an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on Monday. Vahid Salemi/AP
“{Kurilla} would want to be prepared for the most challenging contingency,” according to a source familiar with the matter, referring to his push for positioning US assets in the Middle East in support of Israel.
The US is realigning forces in the region as the conflict escalates to ensure American forces are protected and help defend Israel if necessary.
On Monday, a US official told CNN that the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is moving to the Middle East “without delay.”
Some US naval assets capable of defending against ballistic missiles already in the Middle East are expected to move into the eastern Mediterranean “in the coming days,” the official added. Two US Navy ships intercepted missiles in defense of Israel at least twice over the weekend, the official said.
Same intelligence, different conclusions
US military and intelligence officials have long said that the US and Israel often differ on how to interpret information on Iran’s nuclear program, although they closely share it.
Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, testified in March that the US intelligence community, “continues to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khameni has not authorized a nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressed Sunday during an interview with Fox News on why Israel’s intelligence differed from Gabbard’s congressional testimony.
Asked if something changed between the end of March and this week and if the US intel was wrong, Netanyahu said: “The intel we got and we shared with the United States was absolutely clear, was absolutely clear that they were working, in a secret plan to weaponize the uranium. They were marching very quickly.”
Men inspect damage at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Bnei Brak, Israel, on Monday, June 16. John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images A mourner touches the shrouded body of a loved one who was killed in Israeli strikes in the Iranian city of Tabriz. Matin Hashemi/AP This photo, taken with a drone, shows damaged residential homes in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday. Moshe Mizrahi/Reuters Israeli civil defense and emergency responders conduct nighttime search-and-rescue operations after an Iranian missile strike in Kiryat Gat, Israel, on Sunday, June 15. Tsafrir Abayov/Anadolu/Getty Images A wounded man looks at his shirt following Israeli strikes in Tehran, Iran. Amir Kholousi/WANA/Reuters Traffic builds as people flee Tehran on Sunday. Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted near Ashkelon, Israel, on Sunday. Amir Cohen/Reuters People take shelter at the side of a highway near Sha’ar HaGai, Israel, as sirens sound on Sunday. Jamal Awad/Reuters Flames rise from an oil storage facility in Tehran after it was struck by an Israeli missile on Sunday. Vahid Salemi/AP A Jewish man prays as he takes shelter in Jerusalem on Saturday, June 14. Maya Alleruzzo/AP Rescue personnel work in Rishon LeZion, Israel, on Saturday. Ammar Awad/Reuters An explosion is seen in Tel Aviv on Friday, June 13. Tomer Neuberg/AP Police officers patrol the streets in Tel Aviv following an airstrike on Friday. Ilia Yefimovich/Picture-Alliance/DPA/AP Firefighters inspect the aftermath of an Iranian strike in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Friday. Ilia Yefimovich/Picture-Alliance/DPA/AP Families shelter in bunkers in Ashkelon, Israel, on Friday. Tsafrir Abayov/Anadolu/Getty Images People inspect the aftermath of a strike in Ramat Gan, Israel. Ilia Yefimovich/Picture-Alliance/DPA/AP Israel’s Iron Dome defense system is used to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv as Iran began retaliatory strikes on Friday night. Leo Correa/AP A police officer walks past a destroyed residential building after Israeli strikes in Tehran on Friday. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/AP Damage is seen inside a building in Tehran on Friday. SABA/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images Thousands gather in Tehran’s Enqelab Square to protest Israel’s attack on Friday. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu/Getty Images Residential buildings are damaged in Tehran. SABA/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images A patient is tended to inside the sheltered parking facility of the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv. The country was bracing for Iran’s retaliation. Itai Ron/Reuters People inspect a destroyed vehicle in Tehran. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images Emergency workers inspect a residential complex that was damaged in Tehran. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images Men stand outside a destroyed residential building in Tehran on Friday. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images A street in Jerusalem is empty Friday amid fears of a retaliatory attack. John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images Worshippers chant slogans as they attend Friday prayers at Tehran University. Vahid Salemi/AP The Western Wall in Jerusalem stands nearly empty Friday as Israel’s Home Front Command banned public gatherings. Mahmoud Illean/AP A man loads groceries in the back of his car as he stocks up with supplies in Tel Aviv on Friday. Maya Levin/AFP/Getty Images People look at damage in Tehran on Friday. Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times/Redux A girl in Hadera, Israel, runs to a bomb shelter on Friday. Ariel Schalit/AP A loader works at the scene of a destroyed residential building in Tehran on Friday. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images People look out at the skyline in Tehran after the airstrikes early on Friday. Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times/Redux Debris and rubble are seen in Tehran after the Israeli attack on Friday. Meghdad Madadi/Tasnim News/AFP/Getty Images A child is carried through a street in Tehran after hearing explosions early on Friday. Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times/Redux Smoke rises after Israel’s wave of airstrikes on Tehran. SAN/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran Prev Next
The International Atomic Energy Agency, a top international watchdog, said last week that Iran had amassed enough uranium enriched at levels just below weapons-grade to potentially make nine nuclear bombs, which it termed “a matter of serious concern.”
The challenge, for Iran, is producing not merely a crude nuclear weapon – which experts say Iran could potentially do within the space of months if it decided to – but also producing a working delivery system, which could take much longer.
As US intelligence officials – and the IAEA – work to assess the damage Israel has caused to Iran’s nuclear architecture, there is some concern that the blitz might cause Iran to do what US officials believe it hasn’t up until now: pursue weaponization.
But, said one source familiar with the latest intelligence, “Iran is reeling. Not sure they have the capacity or expertise to do that anymore.”
Iran’s fortified enrichment facility
A satellite image taken on June 14, 2025, shows no visible damage to Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. Israel targeted the site during its Friday attacks, but the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was not impacted and the Israeli military has not claimed any significant damage there. Maxar Technologies
Israel has yet to seriously damage perhaps the most impenetrable fortress of Iran’s nuclear program: Fordow, an enrichment facility buried deep beneath a mountain.
“It comes back to one question: Fordow, Fordow, Fordow,” McGurk told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Monday.
“That is something the United States can take out. That is something the Israelis will have a lot of difficulty doing. If this ends with Fordow intact, you could actually have a worse problem,” said McGurk. “You could actually have Iran more inclined to go to a nuclear weapon and they have that infrastructure intact.”
Trump and his administration have made the case that a diplomatic solution could still come to fruition. But Iran has told Qatar and Oman that it will not engage while it is under attack from Israel, a regional diplomat told CNN, and Israel has signaled no short-term end to the operation.
1 dead in shooting at Columbia apartment complex
Police found Zarian Simpson, 18, with a gunshot wound and medics treated him at the scene. Simpson later died at an area hospital. A youth has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. Missouri State Highway Patrol statistics show that Columbia has had 133 gun-related crimes this year. People ages 10-17 were the largest age group of those arrested for violent crime in Columbia.
A man is dead after a shooting Sunday night at a Columbia apartment complex.
Officers were sent to the Eastgate Apartments at Old 63 and Broadway at about 8 p.m. Police found Zarian Simpson, 18, of Columbia, with a gunshot wound and medics treated him at the scene, according to a Columbia Police Department news release.
Simpson later died at an area hospital. He had graduated from Hickman High School in May, Columbia Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said.
A youth has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon, police say.
Local activist Daniel Edwards was at Stephen’s Lake Park Monday, holding up his “Stop Killing Each Other” signs with his three sons. He called Simpson’s death “heartbreaking.”
“Having teenagers in this community, I have kids in this community, sad to see kids not being able to solve their problems without killing each other,” Edwards said.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol statistics show that Columbia has had 133 gun-related crimes this year. People ages 10-17 were the largest age group of those arrested for violent crime in Columbia, according to the data.
The Kaiser Family Foundation also found a nationwide rise of youth gun violence, with child and teen gun deaths increasing 46% from 2019 to 2021 and holding steady to 2023.
“Back then, it was the adults that were doing the things and kids were mostly fighting,” Edwards said. He encourages parents to show their children patience and self-control.
Edwards is also a supporter of more trauma and grief services being provided by the city.
“If we start them young, and they out here doing the right things at a young age and inspiring each other, that’s what it’s going to take us peers, their peers too, because there’s a disconnection with the adults and the younger generation,” Edwards said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Idaho Falls Police capture ‘armed and dangerous:’ stabbing suspect
Daytona “Tony” Travis is considered armed and dangerous. Travis was last seen leaving the area in a white Ford F-150 pickup truck, traveling in an unknown direction. IFPD officers found and surrounded Travis after surveilling the area and were able to arrest him without incident.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The person of interest in connection with a Madison County stabbing incident has been arrested by police in Idaho Falls, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Daytona “Tony” Travis
IFPD spokesperson Jessica Clements says their officers received a report this morning that Daytona “Tony” Travis’s truck had been spotted on 16th Street in Idaho Falls. IFPD officers found and surrounded Travis after surveilling the area and were able to arrest him without incident.
ORIGINAL:
MADISON COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Daytona “Tony” Travis, a person of interest in connection with a stabbing that occurred Sunday afternoon on West Highway 33.
Travis was last seen leaving the area in a white Ford F-150 pickup truck, traveling in an unknown direction. He is considered armed and dangerous.
If you have any information regarding Daytona “Tony” Travis’s whereabouts, immediately contact the Madison County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 372-5001.
Police seek suspect after person burned on Columbia porch
A person was hospitalized with life-threatening burns late Sunday in Columbia. Police describe him as a man wearing a hat and white T-shirt with brown hair and a mustache. The suspect left on a bicycle toward College Avenue, police say. Police did not provide a possible motive.
A person was hospitalized with life-threatening burns late Sunday in Columbia and police are seeking a suspect.
Officers were called to the 1500 block of Paris Road to help firefighters at about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, according to a Columbia Police Department news release. A man had been rushed to the hospital after a porch was set on fire, the release says.
The fire caused minor property damage but left the victim with life-threatening injuries, police say.
The suspect left on a bicycle toward College Avenue, police say. Police describe him as a man wearing a hat and white T-shirt with brown hair and a mustache, 35-40 years old, about 6-feet tall and thin.
Police did not provide a possible motive.
A man who said he witnessed the attack — but wanted to stay anonymous because of safety concerns — told ABC 17News he saw someone throw gasoline onto the porch, lighting the victim on fire, and said the victim was later transported to a St. Louis hospital.
The Columbia Police Department asks anyone with information to call the department at 573-874-7652 or CrimeStoppers at 573-875-8477.