WASHINGTON, July 3 (Alliance News): The Pentagon has declared that recent US airstrikes on Iran have potentially delayed Tehran’s nuclear programme by up to two years.
The announcement came just over a week after the June 22 strikes, which targeted three key nuclear sites using heavy bunker-buster bombs and cruise missiles.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told reporters on Wednesday that internal assessments indicated a setback of “probably closer to two years,” suggesting that the operation was more successful than initially reported.
“We have degraded their programme by one to two years, at least,” he said, without disclosing supporting intelligence.
The strikes, which President Donald Trump described as having “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities, are now seen as a major tactical success by the Department of Defense.
The operation involved over a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-busters and more than two dozen Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.
However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and independent experts have expressed caution over the long-term impact. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi recently warned that Iran could resume producing enriched uranium within months, raising questions about whether key nuclear materials were relocated before the strikes.
Some intelligence analysts suspect that Iran may have pre-emptively moved a portion of its near weapons-grade uranium stockpile out of the Fordow facility, one of the primary targets. Despite this, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated there is no confirmation that enriched uranium was hidden elsewhere prior to the strikes.
Initial assessments by the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested the setback could be as short as a few months, but updated intelligence has since revised the damage estimate significantly upward.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in an interview with CBS News, confirmed that the Fordow nuclear site was “seriously and heavily damaged,” though the full extent remains uncertain.
“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow,” he said, hinting that comprehensive evaluations are still underway by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
The strikes come amid heightened tensions following a cycle of hostilities between Israel and Iran, as well as Iran’s recent decision to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
The strategic implications of the delay in Iran’s nuclear ambitions will likely ripple across global diplomatic and security landscapes in the coming months.
