The US military has claimed that its recent attacks on three major Iranian nuclear facilities have delayed the country’s nuclear program by at least one to two years, according to statements from Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell reported by Al Jazeera and CNN. Parnell praised the strikes as a “courageous operation,” saying intelligence assessments indicate a significant setback for Iran’s capabilities.
However, this contradicts President Donald Trump’s earlier statements asserting that the US strike had “totally destroyed” Iran’s nuclear program. On June 21, the US launched bunker-buster attacks from a B-2 stealth bomber targeting Iran’s nuclear sites. Trump described the operation as leaving Iran’s program completely obliterated.
Leaked US intelligence reports, however, suggest the attacks only partially damaged Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, setting it back by months rather than destroying it entirely. Some Iranian officials have admitted to serious damage, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed Trump’s claims as “exaggerated.”
