Pentagon says Iran’s nuclear program likely delayed by two years after US strikes

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that recent US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have likely set back Tehran’s atomic program by up to two years, based on current intelligence assessments.

“We believe, and certainly all of the intelligence that we’ve seen has led us to believe, that Iran’s facilities… have been completely obliterated,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell during a press briefing.

When asked about the scope of the damage, Parnell added, “I think we’re thinking probably closer to two years, degraded their program by two years.”

The statements come in the aftermath of a large-scale US bombing operation last month that targeted three key nuclear sites in Iran, Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. The strikes, considered unprecedented in their scale, aimed to disrupt what Washington believes is Iran’s accelerating nuclear weapons capability.

However, there have been conflicting assessments about the true extent of the damage. Early analysis leaked from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) suggested that Iran may still retain a significant portion of its nuclear infrastructure, casting doubt on the long-term effectiveness of the operation.