Set back nuclear weapons by many years

Israel Atomic Energy Commission says US strike on Fordow "destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure"

From CNN’s Kaitlan Collins

The Israel Atomic Energy Commission said in a statement Wednesday that the US strike on the Fordow nuclear facility “destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable.”

“The devastating US strike on Fordo destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable,” said the statement, which the White House distributed. “We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program, has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years. The achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material.”

The statement came after CNN reported Tuesday that an early assessment from Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm, had found the US strikes in Iran did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to people briefed on the assessment.

CNN also reported that Israeli officials believe the combination of US and Israeli military action on multiple nuclear sites set back the Iranian nuclear program by two years, assuming they are able to rebuild it unimpeded which Israel would not allow. But Israel had also stated publicly before the US military operation that Iran’s program had been set back by two years.