CIA says intelligence indicates Iran's nuclear programme severely damaged
WASHINGTON: Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe said credible intelligence suggested recent US strikes had severely damaged Iran's nuclear programme, which could take years to rebuild.
"This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years," Ratcliffe said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump was reported as saying on Wednesday that US strikes led to the "total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear capabilities and set the country's atomic programme 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 programme by just a few months.
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