Trump Insists Iran Nuclear Program Set Back 'Decades'
President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that US strikes led to the "total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear capabilities and set the country's atomic program back "decades", while Israel said it was still early to fully assess the damage.
Over a 12-day conflict, Israel pounded Iranian nuclear and military sites while Iran launched waves of missiles at its foe during their deadliest-ever confrontation.
The United States joined the fray in support of its ally, hitting two nuclear facilities with massive bunker-buster bombs over the weekend, while a guided missile from a submarine struck a third.
But leaked US intelligence cast doubt on the damage caused by American strikes, saying they had set back Tehran's nuclear program by just a few months.
"They're not going to be building bombs for a long time," said Trump, adding that the strikes had set back the program by "decades" and that the Iran-Israel ceasefire that he declared was going "very well".
Earlier, Israel's military said it was "still early" to assess the damage caused to Iran's nuclear program, AFP reported.
"I believe we have delivered a significant hit to the nuclear program, and I can also say that we have delayed it by several years," said Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin.
The head of Israel's military, Eyal Zamir, on Tuesday said Israel and the United States had set back Iran's nuclear program "by years".
But US media on Tuesday cited people familiar with the Defense Intelligence Agency intelligence report as saying the American strikes did not fully eliminate Iran's centrifuges or enriched uranium stockpiles.
The strikes sealed off entrances to some facilities without destroying underground buildings, according to the report.
Israel had said its bombing campaign, which began on June 13, was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the nation after the ceasefire, announced that "we have thwarted Iran's nuclear project".
"And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt," he said.
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