Washington [US], July 18: New US intelligence assessments suggest that Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment facility was severely damaged, and possibly destroyed, in an attack in June.
US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers dropped 12 bunker-buster bombs on Iran 's Fordow nuclear enrichment plant during an operation in June.
The aircraft also dropped two similar bombs on the Natanz facility, while the US submarine launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles towards Natanz and the Isfahan facility.
NBC News on July 17 cited a new US intelligence report saying that the Fordow facility had been heavily damaged and was likely destroyed.
The other two sites were not damaged as severely, but other structures that were critical to nuclear weapons production were destroyed and could take years to rebuild, US officials said.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.
A senior Israeli official told The New York Times last week that the strike was unlikely to destroy Iran's stockpile of enriched nuclear fuel, which could be used to produce as many as 10 nuclear weapons. But U.S. officials stressed that without the facilities, Iran would not be able to use the fuel, even if it dug through the rock above.
The explosions destroyed thousands of nuclear centrifuges beneath the Fordow facility, according to a new assessment, similar to the assessment of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Multiple US officials say it will take at least two years of intensive work to get Fordow back online, while Natanz and Isfahan could be up and running in months if Iran wants to.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell reiterated President Donald Trump 's statement to NBC News that the nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz had been completely destroyed. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Reuters: "As the president has said and experts have verified, Operation Midnight Hammer has completely destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities."
The new intelligence assessment was shared with lawmakers and officials from allied countries in recent days, NBC News reported.
According to NBC News, US officials presented a more comprehensive attack plan, in which six nuclear facilities would be bombed continuously over several weeks. However, President Donald Trump opted for a limited attack plan due to concerns about US intervention in conflicts in the Middle East.
Several current and former officials said the US and Israel have discussed the possibility of further attacks on the Natanz and Isfahan facilities if Iran refuses to negotiate over its nuclear program or shows signs of rebuilding the facilities.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper