The Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have degraded Iran’s nuclear program by up to two years, marking a significant escalation in the assessment of the military operation’s impact.
What Happened: Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters the official estimate was “probably closer to two years,” though he provided no evidence to support the assessment. “We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that,” Parnell said.
The strikes occurred on June 22 when U.S. B-2 stealth bombers made by Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
The Pentagon’s assessment contradicts earlier leaked Defense Intelligence Agency estimates suggesting the strikes only delayed Iran’s program by months. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the operation’s effectiveness, saying the destruction of Iran’s conversion facility at Esfahan was decisive. “Everything underneath that mountain is in bad shape,” Rubio said.
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Why It Matters: The strikes followed a 12-day Israel-Iran conflict that began June 13 when Israel targeted Iranian nuclear sites, claiming Tehran was close to building nuclear weapons. Iran responded with missile attacks before direct U.S. intervention.
Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe confirmed the strikes “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear program, citing “credible evidence” of destroyed key facilities. However, International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said Iran could restart uranium enrichment within “a matter of months.”
Markets responded positively to ceasefire prospects. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives called the Iran-Israel ceasefire “the most bullish outcome” for Wall Street, predicting 2-3% gains for major indices.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that the U.S. must guarantee no additional military strikes before Tehran will resume nuclear negotiations. Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir-Saeid Iravani separately told CBS that uranium enrichment will “never stop,” citing it as an “inalienable right” under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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