President Trump is not going to like this. After getting out of a classified Senate briefing on Thursday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham's first words to the press and to the American people were that he "didn’t want people to think the problem is over, because it’s not" - in reference to the Trump-ordered B-2 bomber strikes on Iran's main nuclear and enrichment facilities.
"The real question is, have we obliterated their desire to have a nuclear weapon," Graham questioned. "I don't want people to think that the site wasn't severely damaged or obliterated. It was. But having said that, I don't want people to think the problem is over, because it's not."
"I don’t know where the 900 pounds of enriched uranium exists, but it wasn't part of the target set for several years," Graham was quoted in the NY Times as saying.
He did try to voice acknowledgement of the official White House position, perhaps trying to keep the peace with Trump, saying "They are obliterated today but they can reconstitute."
The NY Times summarizes of where things stand, "There is confusion also about where the stockpile was originally. Mr. Trump has suggested it was at Fordo. Others have said some was at Natanz."
And further the Times writes, "The International Atomic Energy Agency has said the majority of the stockpile was at Isfahan, where Iran had reactors and other nuclear facilities that used the uranium. And some experts have suggested Iran has dispersed the stockpile."
Meanwhile, we recall President Trump's words given to our White House correspondent just one week ago...
"People have to be very careful with what they say, because their mouth can get them into a lot of trouble," he responded when asked about Graham and Pompeo being on the ground in Ukraine possibly sabotaging efforts at peace.
A number of Democratic Senators after their classified Iran briefing also had similar reactions to Graham.
"I walk away from that briefing still under the belief that we have not obliterated the program," Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told reporters. "The president was deliberately misleading the public when he said the program was obliterated. It is certain that there is still significant capability, significant equipment that remain."
"You cannot bomb knowledge out of existence — no matter how many scientists you kill," Murphy added. "There are still people in Iran who how to work centrifuges. And if they still have enriched uranium and they still have the ability to use centrifuges, then you're not setting back the program by years. You're setting back the program by months."
Israel claims to have assassinated at least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists during the nearly two-weeks of bombing and sabotage operations against the Islamic Republic.
Top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, said following the intel briefing, "Listen, I hope that is the final assessment. But if not, does that end up providing a false sense of comfort to the American people?"
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had this to say: "What was clear is that there was no coherent strategy, no end game, no plan, no specific, no detailed plan on how Iran does not attain a nuclear weapon."
Again, Trump isn't going to be happy to see Graham siding with the Democrats on this one. But Fox too has been very skeptical, as have other conservative as well as independent outlets.