An assessment of the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities following US strikes last month concluded that only one site sustained major damage, and the Islamic Republic could resume enrichment operations within a few months. Washington and Tel Aviv are considering additional strikes to destroy the facility.
NBC News reported speaking with five sources who are familiar with the assessment. It found that of the three sites hit during Operation Midnight Hammer, Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, only operations at Fordo were set back by years.
President Donald Trump has asserted several times that the June 22 attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear program.
The outlet explains that Washington and Tel Aviv are considering additional strikes on the Islamic Republic to more completely destroy its nuclear program. American and Israeli politicians have long claimed that Iran is attempting to weaponize its civilian nuclear program.
The US intelligence community has assessed that the Iranian government has not ordered the creation of a nuclear weapons program.
Officials say the US and Israel could hold off on attacking if Iran returns to the table and agrees to a new nuclear deal soon.
However, Tehran says it needs assurances from Washington that the US and Israel will not attack Iran again if its negotiations return to talks. Before Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran last month, US and Iranian diplomats were scheduled to meet for nuclear talks.
Iran’s foreign minister referred to the Israeli attack, supported by the US, as a betrayal. “So they had perhaps this plan in their mind, and they just needed negotiations perhaps to cover it up,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. “We don’t know how we can trust them anymore. What they did was, in fact, a betrayal to diplomacy.”
President Trump is also demanding that the Islamic Republic give up its nuclear enrichment program. Tehran asserts that enrichment is crucial to its sovereignty, and it will not dismantle its program.
A US official said that striking Iran’s nuclear facilities would be easy going forward, as much of the country’s air defenses were destroyed by Israel. NBC News reported that officials explained the Pentagon presented Trump with an option that would have involved more attacks on Iran that lasted weeks. The President chose a limited option with just one round of strikes.
