CIA says US bombing set Iran’s nuclear programme back for ‘years’
The US spy agency cited new intelligence, in a statement supporting Trump’s claim that the facilities had been completely destroyed
The US attacks in Iran have caused severe damage to Tehran’s nuclear programme, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday.
New intelligence from “historically reliable” methods had shown that “several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years”, Ratcliffe said in a statement.
The CIA is continuing to analyse the consequences of the attacks, he added.
Tulsi Gabbard, the National Intelligence director agreed. Writing on social media, she said a potential reconstruction of the facilities that the US bombed in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, would take years.
However, it remained unclear what new findings led her and the CIA to this new assessment.
Gabbard and the CIA’s statements supported those of US President Donald Trump, who claimed the facilities had been completely destroyed. He described the attacks he ordered over the weekend as a death blow to Iran’s nuclear programme.