According to newly declassified intelligence assessments, recent U.S. airstrikes have significantly delayed Iran’s nuclear development program by one to two years. The Pentagon reports that precision bombings carried out in late June targeted Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow using advanced bunker-buster munitions.
These operations, which followed increased tensions after suspected Iranian-backed proxy attacks in the Gulf region, were designed to reduce Iran’s ability to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels. The assessment confirms that key infrastructure was destroyed or heavily damaged, including centrifuge halls and electrical substations.
However, intelligence officials caution that while the strikes disrupted operations, Iran retains the technical expertise and access to resources necessary to eventually rebuild. “This is a setback, not an end,” said one senior defense official. Diplomatic channels remain open, though Iranian officials have publicly condemned the strikes as “acts of aggression.”
The international community, particularly IAEA officials, have urged restraint and a return to negotiations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which remains in diplomatic limbo.
