Israel says Iran’s nuclear weapons program set back by ‘many years’

After the White House took the unusual step of prematurely sharing a statement from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) on Wednesday about damage to Iran’s nuclear site at Fordow, Israel released the commission’s statement.

The development came amid differing reports on the extent of damage caused by the U.S. strike.

“The devastating US strike on Fordow destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable. We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program, has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years,” the IAEC said.

“The achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material,” the statement added.

Earlier in the day, Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters, “The assessment is that we significantly damaged the nuclear program, and I can also say that we set it back by years, I repeat, years.”

The U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan on Saturday night. Fordow, a uranium enrichment site, was too hardened and deep for most conventional weapons. The U.S. “bunker buster” bombs, 30,000-pound deep-penetrating bombs, which are believed to be the only bombs capable of destroying the facility. Only the US has planes capable of carrying bunker busters.

U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that Fordow was destroyed.

In the Hague for the NATO summit on Wednesday, Trump told reporters Fordow was “obliterated.”

“Israel’s guys went in there [Fordow] after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration,” Trump said. Israeli officials denied having agents on the ground in Fordow.

Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on June 13, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Israeli defence officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with sufficient fissile material for up to 15 weapons.

Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. The strikes marked a dramatic escalation in what officials describe as a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. During 12 days of fighting, Iranian missile strikes killed 28 Israelis and injured over 3,000.