Results of US mission in Iran need more assessment: Wesley Clark

(NewsNation) — Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, former head of NATO in Europe, praised the “flawless” execution of U.S. pilots who bombed three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend but agreed with observers who say it’s too early to say Tehran is out of the atomic weapons game.

The New York Times reported the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency determined the bombings set back Iran’s nuclear program by a few months instead of delivering the virtual knockout blow described by President Trump.

Clark said initial intelligence reports can be wrong and tend to change over time. There’s no way to know for certain, he added, until independent observers can see for themselves.

“What we have, I’m afraid, is a wounded tiger. We don’t know if it’s going to turn on us or not,” Clark told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Wednesday.

As for the B-2 stealth bomber mission that delivered the strikes — dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer” — he praised all aspects of the operation.

“It was a brilliant operation. Brilliant in conception, obviously flawless in execution,” Clark said.

Ali Vaez, Iran project director for Crisis Group, agreed that observations must be made on the ground in Iran to determine “the extent of the damage and account for the nuclear material which is now missing.”

He said more than 800 pounds of near-bomb-grade uranium are unaccounted for in Iran, and the country stocked hundreds of advanced centrifuges separately.

“That provides it with a pathway to dash towards a nuclear weapon,” Vaez said.