“We have degraded their program by one to two years at least,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters on Wednesday, adding, “We’re thinking probably closer to two years.”
The assessment reflects a growing confidence in the impact of the coordinated strikes. The operation, which involved over 125 U.S. aircraft—including B-2 stealth bombers, fighter jets, and aerial tankers—targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. In parallel, a U.S. guided missile submarine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at a third facility. According to Parnell, “those facilities especially have been completely obliterated.”
However, skepticism remains. Over the weekend, Rafael Grossi, head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, warned that Iran could resume enriched uranium production within months. Nuclear experts have also speculated that Iran may have removed some of its highly enriched uranium from the Fordow site prior to the strikes. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said there’s no intelligence confirming that.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi acknowledged severe damage to the Fordow facility, though he insisted that “the technology and know-how is still there.”