US Airstrikes and Iran’s Nuclear Program

Recent US airstrikes in Iran are projected to delay the country’s nuclear program, perhaps by as much as “close to two years,” according to a Pentagon spokesperson on Wednesday.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell addressed reporters, stating that the evaluation of damage to the nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan remains unchanged.

“We believe, based on all the intelligence reports we’ve reviewed, that those facilities have essentially been destroyed,” he stated.

Parnell also mentioned that US allies are aligned with the Pentagon’s internal evaluation of the impact of last month’s military actions against Iran’s uranium enrichment sites, particularly regarding the timeline for when Iran might be able to construct nuclear weapons.

“We believe we’ve undermined their program for a minimum of one to two years,” he added, “and I think it’s probably closer to two years.”

Last month, there was significant backlash from President Trump and other officials regarding a leaked preliminary assessment of Operation Midnight Hammer.

Sources familiar with the report suggested that, according to a classified Defense Agency assessment, uranium enrichment could resume within a year at the fastest rate.

During Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22, B-2 stealth bombers dropped 14 massive bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s nuclear sites.

The operation was further complemented by a cruise missile attack, with US submarines launching dozens of Tomahawk missiles.

This series of events unfolded after intelligence indicated Iran was making progress towards the development of nuclear weapons, occurring amid tensions between Tehran and Israel. Trump remarked in an interview, emphasizing that the airstrikes would significantly disrupt Iran’s nuclear ambitions for “at least a certain period.”