The Pentagon confirmed Wednesday that U.S. airstrikes last month set Iran’s nuclear program back by up to two years.
“We have degraded their program by one to two years,” said Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell. “Intel assessments inside the Department support that.”
Parnell added that Iran’s ability—and possibly its ambition—to build a nuclear bomb has been “severely degraded.” Still, security experts caution that Tehran likely hasn’t given up on its nuclear goals.
The June 22 “bunker buster” strikes hit key Iranian sites at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. This new assessment marks a far more optimistic take than previous evaluations.
However, U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi warned Iran could bounce back within months. He also pointed to satellite images showing a dozen cargo trucks at Fordow before the attacks, sparking concern Iran moved stockpiles or centrifuges ahead of the strikes.
The U.S. flatly denies that Iran relocated any nuclear material or hardware. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth grew visibly angry when pressed about it.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Aragchi admitted the Fordow facility was “heavily damaged” but insisted “the knowhow is still there.” He stopped short of saying Iran’s nuclear plans had been derailed.
Pentagon spokesman Parnell pushed back hard: “All of the intelligence that we’ve seen leads us to believe those facilities—especially Fordow—have been completely obliterated.”