Latest news with #Department(ofDefense
Middle East Eye
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US strikes degraded Iran nuclear programme by up to two years, Pentagon says
US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites last month have set the country's nuclear programme back by up to two years, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, told a news briefing, without providing evidence to support the conclusion. Parnell said the assessment indicates that the official estimate is "probably closer to two years". On 22 June, nine days into Israel's attack on Iran, the US military struck three Iranian nuclear facilities using more than a dozen 13,600-kg bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. Immediately after the strikes, President Donald Trump said they had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme "like nobody's ever seen before". Parnell echoed that conclusion on Wednesday. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's - those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," he said. The US intelligence community often takes weeks or more to determine such conclusions. Rafael Grossi, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, said over the weekend that Iran might be able to produce enriched uranium within a few months, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the US strikes at dismantling Tehran's nuclear programme. Tensions between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency sharply escalated during the 12-day war, as Iranian officials accused the nuclear watchdog of helping Israel justify its attacks. On Wednesday, Tehran officially suspended its cooperation with the nuclear watchdog, barring international inspectors from accessing its nuclear sites. The US described the move as "unacceptable". Enriched uranium largely intact Several experts have said that Iran likely moved a stockpile of 408kg of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. Last week, two European officials told the Financial Times that the preliminary intelligence assessments provided to European governments indicate that Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact following the US attack. What Iran achieved during the conflict with Israel Read More » The assessment said the stockpile of highly enriched uranium had likely been distributed to various locations. However, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved that stockpile to shield it from US strikes. A preliminary assessment from the US Defense Intelligence Agency last week indicated that the strikes may have delayed Iran's nuclear programme by only a few months. But the Trump administration dismissed the assessment as low-confidence, claiming that newer intelligence showed Iran's nuclear programme had suffered significant damage. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in an interview broadcast by CBS News.
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Iranian nuclear program degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says
WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding that the official estimate was "probably closer to two years." Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing. U.S. military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 30,000-pound (13,600-kg) bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. More: Iran enacts law suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog The evolving U.S. intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the U.S. intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's -- those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective U.S. strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear program have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from U.S. strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested that the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pentagon says US strikes stalled Iran's nuclear programme by two years, but satellite images tell another story
The Pentagon declared on Wednesday that US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites might have delayed Tehran's ambitions by up to two years. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's spokesperson, told reporters, 'We have degraded their programme by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that.' He added the estimate was 'probably closer to two years' but gave no evidence for this claim. US President Donald Trump had earlier said the same strikes had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear plans. At the Pentagon briefing, Parnell echoed this view: 'All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's -- those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated.' Massive bombs and cruise missiles unleashed On 22 June, US bombers hit three Iranian nuclear sites with more than a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs and over two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles. The strikes focused on Fordow and Natanz with bombs dropped by B-2 stealth bombers. A submarine launched the Tomahawks at Isfahan. General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained the tactic. He said most bombs at Fordow 'were tasked to enter the main shaft, move down into the complex at greater than 1,000 feet per second, and explode in the mission space.' Tehran admits damage but moves ahead Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi admitted that Fordow suffered a big blow. Speaking to CBS News, Araqchi said, 'No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged.' Live Events But new satellite images show the story is not over. Photos from Maxar Technologies taken last Sunday reveal Iran is still working at Fordow. Maxar said the pictures 'reveal ongoing activity at and near the ventilation shafts and holes caused by last week's airstrikes on the Fordow fuel enrichment complex.' The images show an excavator and workers next to the northern shaft above the underground plant. A crane stands at the shaft entrance. Several vehicles line the access path. Inspectors spot repairs, not surrender Former nuclear inspector David Albright, who heads the Institute for Science and International Security, said images from Fordow show Iran is 'actively working at the two MOP impact sites penetrating the ventilation shafts.' He believes this work 'may include backfilling the craters, as well as conducting engineering damage assessments and likely radiological sampling. The craters above the main shafts remain open.' He added on X, 'We have observed that the Iranians have also rapidly repaired the bomb cratering damage on the main entrance road from only a few days prior. However, there are yet no indications of any efforts to reopen any of the tunnel entrances.' UN watchdog: Iran could restart enrichment soon While the Pentagon stands by its timeline, the UN's nuclear watchdog chief remains cautious. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran could spin up new centrifuges within months. 'They can have in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium,' Grossi said. Grossi also noted Iran's advanced nuclear know-how cannot be erased by bombs alone. His warning fits an early, lower-confidence Pentagon intelligence report that the strikes may have only slowed Iran by months. Stockpiles may be hidden Some experts think Iran may have shifted its near weapons-grade uranium before the raids. So far, no hard proof of this has come to light. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he knew of no evidence Iran moved stockpiles to shield them from the attack. An early Defence Intelligence Agency assessment pointed to a range of possible outcomes. One scenario sees Fordow restarting quickly with new kit. Another holds that Iran might even abandon the damaged site altogether. The real measure of success now sits underground — and in intelligence files still under review. As satellite images catch fresh machinery at Fordow, officials and inspectors weigh new findings against bold claims. For now, the Pentagon insists it hit Tehran's nuclear heart hard. Iran keeps digging. The world waits to see which side blinks first.
The Advertiser
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Strikes set back Iran nuclear program 'up to two years'
The Pentagon says US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding the official estimate was "probably closer to two years". Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing on Wednesday. US military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 13,000kg bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. The evolving US intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the US intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's - those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear program have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low-confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday. The Pentagon says US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding the official estimate was "probably closer to two years". Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing on Wednesday. US military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 13,000kg bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. The evolving US intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the US intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's - those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear program have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low-confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday. The Pentagon says US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding the official estimate was "probably closer to two years". Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing on Wednesday. US military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 13,000kg bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. The evolving US intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the US intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's - those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear program have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low-confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday. The Pentagon says US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding the official estimate was "probably closer to two years". Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing on Wednesday. US military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 13,000kg bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. The evolving US intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the US intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's - those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear program have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low-confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday.
Perth Now
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Strikes set back Iran nuclear program 'up to two years'
The Pentagon says US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding the official estimate was "probably closer to two years". Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing on Wednesday. US military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 13,000kg bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. The evolving US intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the US intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's - those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear program have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low-confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday.
