Pentagon Report on Iran’s Nuclear Program After U.S. Strike

The Pentagon’s latest intelligence assessment indicates that a U.S. strike on Iran’s significant nuclear facilities has delayed the country’s nuclear program by “a year or two,” according to Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman. This information was shared with reporters on Wednesday.

The June 21 strike targeted nuclear sites in Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz, which Parnell described as having “severely degraded” Iran’s capacity and intent to develop nuclear weapons. Intelligence estimates suggest that certain timelines regarding this degradation have been affected. Parnell elaborated during a Pentagon press briefing, recalling that President Trump initially asserted that the attack “eliminated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, although a leaked intelligence report soon highlighted the actual damage done to the program.

Parnell mentioned that discussions with global allies following the operation have reaffirmed this assessment. “They understand the impact we’ve had on Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” he stated, adding that the intelligence community’s view supports this conclusion.

Additionally, the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA director have both commented that it would take Iran about a year to recover its nuclear capabilities post-strike. The Israeli Atomic Energy Commission has echoed that belief, stating that Iran’s ability to manufacture nuclear weapons would be significantly hampered for many years.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the severe damage inflicted on its facilities by the U.S. strike, which involved seven B-2 stealth bombers deploying 14 GBU-57 “Bunker Buster” bombs at Fordow and Natanz, each carrying over 5,000 pounds of explosives designed specifically to maximize destruction.

“I think it’s clear that when the U.S. is strong and communicates effectively, it contributes to global stability,” Parnell remarked during the briefing.

The Pentagon has not yet provided further comments on this matter.