The Pentagon stated on Wednesday that strikes by the US military against Iran, following President Donald Trump’s claim that the country’s nuclear program had been “obliterated,” actually set back the program by one to two years. Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that three nuclear facilities in Iran were targeted and destroyed, characterizing the operation as “bold.” However, initial US intelligence assessments suggested that the strikes were not as devastating, only delaying the program for months. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, dismissed Trump’s claims as exaggerations regarding the strikes’ impact.
There has been no independent verification of the damage inflicted by the US on Iran’s nuclear sites due to the lack of full access to the underground facilities. The current status of Iran’s highly-enriched uranium stockpiles remains a mystery. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) director, Rafael Grossi, indicated that some uranium containers might have been destroyed, while others could have been relocated. There is also speculation that Iran could resume uranium enrichment within months. Iran suspended its cooperation with the IAEA following the strikes on its nuclear facilities over the agency’s failure to condemn the attacks.
The US State Department has called on Iran to allow IAEA inspectors back into its nuclear program. Israel initiated the conflict with Iran on June 13, claiming preemptive targeting of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Iran denies any intention to develop a nuclear bomb, unlike Israel, which has an undeclared nuclear arsenal. The Israeli strikes during the conflict resulted in the deaths of Iranian civilians, military officials, and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile attacks that killed 29 people in Israel. The US later joined the conflict by striking Iran’s nuclear sites, and both Iran and the US denounced each other’s actions. A ceasefire was declared by Trump a few days later, with both sides claiming a “historic victory.”
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/3/us-says-its-strikes-degraded-irans-nuclear-programme-by-one-to-two-years?traffic_source=rss
