ALBAWABA- A new U.S. assessment reveals that these strikes mostly destroyed only one of the three targeted Iranian nuclear sites, according to NBC News, citing current and former U.S. officials.
Trump hails Iran strikes, urges Gaza ceasefire as Israeli forces intensify civilian massacresThe report highlights that the attack on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility was successful, setting back uranium enrichment capabilities there by as much as two years.
However, the other two facilities, Isfahan and Natanz, were not as badly damaged. They may have been degraded only temporarily, with nuclear enrichment potentially able to resume within the next several months if Iran decides to do so.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Reuters, “As the President has said and experts have verified, Operation Midnight Hammer totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”
Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated to NBC, “President Donald Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated. There is no doubt about that.”
Notably, the US and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in the last week of June, escalating tensions in the region. The 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 12, when Israel launched surprise airstrikes on multiple positions in Iran.
The strikes were part of a campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear program, which the U.S. claims is geared towards developing nuclear weapons. Iran maintains that its nuclear development is purely for civilian purposes.
