A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence information, said on Sunday that Ratcliffe explained the significance of the strikes on the metal conversion facility during a secret session with US lawmakers last week.
Details of the private briefings emerged as US President Donald Trump and his administration continued to field questions from Democratic lawmakers and others about the extent to which Iran was affected by the strikes before the latest ceasefire with Israel last Tuesday.
"It's been wiped out like never before," Trump said in an interview on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." He added, "And that means the end of their nuclear ambitions, at least for a while."
Ratcliffe also told lawmakers that the intelligence community has assessed that the vast majority of Iran's accumulated enriched uranium likely remains buried under the rubble at Isfahan and Fordow, two of the three major nuclear facilities targeted by US strikes.
But even if the uranium remains intact, the loss of the metal conversion facility has effectively eliminated Tehran's ability to build a bomb for years to come, the official said.
In response, the Iranian government called on the United Nations on Sunday to hold Israel and the United States accountable for their aggression against Iran.
According to the official IRNA news agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated in a letter sent to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN Security Council President Caroline Rodriguez Birkett that the Israeli aggression against his country, which began on June 13, 2025, constitutes a flagrant violation of the UN Charter.
He pointed out that the Israeli attacks deliberately targeted a number of residential areas, civilians, and civilian infrastructure in Iran.
He continued: "We formally request that the Security Council recognize that the Israeli entity and the United States of America initiated their aggression and acknowledge the responsibility resulting from this aggression, including the payment of fines and compensation for the losses."
He stressed that ignoring this aggression and its legal consequences would seriously undermine the credibility of the United Nations.
On June 13, Israel, with US support, launched a 12-day attack on Iran, targeting military and nuclear sites, civilian facilities, and the assassination of military leaders and nuclear scientists. The attack left 627 dead, according to the latest tally, and 5,332 injured, according to the Iranian Ministry of Health.
Iran responded by targeting Israeli military and intelligence headquarters with ballistic missiles and drones, a large number of which penetrated defense systems, causing unprecedented destruction and panic, as well as 29 deaths and 3,345 injuries, according to the Ministry of Health and Hebrew media.
As Iran responded to Israel's missile attacks, inflicting heavy losses, the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities, claiming the "end" of its nuclear program. Tehran responded by bombing the U.S. Al-Udeid military base in Qatar. Washington then declared a ceasefire between Tel Aviv and Tehran on June 24.
