Sen. Ted Cruz told Face the Nation he has "no present-day intelligence" showing Iran rebuilt nuclear weapons after the 2025 strikes, a statement that undercuts one of President Trump’s public justifications for recent military action. Cruz argued the 2025 Twelve-Day War weakened Iran, but stopped short of claiming Tehran had rebuilt a weapons program. Meanwhile, a May 2025 DIA assessment estimated Iran would need roughly a decade to develop missiles capable of reaching the U.S., a timeline that clashes with Trump’s depiction of an imminent threat.
Cruz Admits No Current Evidence Iran Rebuilt Nukes, Undercutting One of Trump’s Justifications
Ted Cruz admitted he had 'no indication' that Iran was 'anywhere close to getting nuclear weapons.' / CBS News
Sen. Ted Cruz acknowledged on CBS’s Face the Nation that he has no present-day intelligence showing Iran rebuilt its nuclear weapons program after the 2025 U.S.-Israel strikes — a concession that contradicts one of President Donald Trump’s public rationales for the recent military campaign.
What Cruz Said
When asked about Iran’s alleged nuclear arsenal, Cruz replied:
“Look, the quantity of nuclear material, I didn’t say anything one way or another on that. What I said is they were building nuclear weapons a year ago and our bombing took that out.”He went on to say he had “no present-day intelligence” indicating Tehran had rebuilt weapons capability since the 2025 strikes, adding he believed the bombing had been "devastating."
While Trump claimed to attack Iran due to its threat risk, Cruz said he encouraged Trump to attack seeing as Iran was 'vulnerable.' / CBS News
Context: The Twelve-Day War
Cruz referenced the 2025 conflict often called the Twelve-Day War, saying it "took out" Iran’s nuclear assets and that the campaign weakened the regime. He argued the strikes and the regime’s perceived vulnerability justified further action.
Trump’s Position
President Trump has presented a different, more urgent timeline. In a Truth Social video announcing joint operations with Israel, he warned that Iran was building missiles that "could soon reach the American homeland" and vowed to "destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground."
Trump vowed to 'destroy' Iran's missiles, following a 2025 report judging that Iran wouldn't manage to create a missile capable of reaching the U.S. until 2035. / Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
What U.S. Intelligence Says
U.S. intelligence assessments present a less immediate threat picture. A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report from May 2025, titled Current and Future Missile Threats to the U.S. Homeland, assessed that Iran would likely need roughly a decade to develop missiles capable of striking the U.S. homeland and that a militarily viable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) could be possible by about 2035 if Tehran chose to pursue it.
Political Reaction
Right-leaning podcast host Auron MacIntyre criticized Cruz’s remarks on X (formerly Twitter), prompting a forceful response from the senator. Cruz wrote that Iran "was close to having nukes" before the strikes and defended the bombing as decisive.
Why This Matters
The exchange highlights a gap between public political rhetoric and the more measured timelines in U.S. intelligence reporting. Cruz’s admission that he lacks current intelligence showing a rebuilt nuclear capability weakens an argument that the threat was immediately existential — even as the Trump administration emphasizes urgency to justify continued military action.
Bottom line: Cruz conceded there is no clear, present evidence Iran rebuilt nuclear weapons after the 2025 strikes, while U.S. intelligence judged missile capability against the U.S. homeland would likely take years, not months.
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