United States air‑strikes on Iran’s main nuclear facilities have pushed Tehran’s atomic ambitions back “by years”, the CIA has concluded, in a judgement that challenges initial Pentagon and media assessments suggesting only limited impact.
“The CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates the recent, targeted strikes have severely damaged Iran’s nuclear program,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement issued late on Wednesday.
“This encompasses the fresh intelligence from the reliable sources/method that various Iranian nuclear facilities were targeted and dismantled, and it would take years of effort to rebuild them,” he added.
The agency’s verdict comes four days after US aircraft hit the enrichment sites at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan on 22 June. President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth hailed the raid as having “obliterated” Iran’s capacity to build a bomb, likening the operation’s significance to the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Also read: Trump raps US media over reports questioning Iran strike impact
Early briefings from the Defence Intelligence Agency were more cautious, suggesting that only peripheral infrastructure had been destroyed and that Iran’s programme would recover within months. Several US news outlets echoed that analysis, prompting Trump to accuse the media of “downplaying a decisive victory”.
Ratcliffe’s assessment, however, appears to vindicate the White House’s position and lends weight to Israeli claims that Washington acted at the behest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long pressed for direct action against Iranian nuclear sites.
Tehran insists it seeks only a peaceful, civilian nuclear capability and has vowed to continue uranium enrichment “within its rights”. Russia, meanwhile, condemned the strikes and accused Western governments of spreading disinformation about Iran’s activities.
While US officials celebrate what they call a strategic success, analysts warn that Iran is likely to recalibrate its programme, possibly dispersing or hardening remaining assets. How quickly Tehran can rebuild—and whether it chooses to retaliate—remains the next test for regional stability.
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