US strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear programme, says Pentagon assessment

The US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities did not destroy the country’s nuclear programme and probably only set it back by months, according to a Pentagon intelligence assessment.

The Islamic Republic’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not eliminated in the bombings, sources familiar with an evaluation by the Defense Intelligence Agency told the BBC’s US partner CBS.

The White House said the initial damage assessment was “flat-out wrong” and “a clear attempt to demean” President Donald Trump.

The president has said Saturday’s air strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.

The US struck three nuclear facilities in Iran – Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – with “bunker buster” bombs capable of penetrating 18m (60ft) of concrete or 61m (200ft) of earth before exploding.

But sources familiar with the Pentagon’s intelligence assessment say Iran’s centrifuges are largely “intact” and the impact was limited to aboveground structures.

Entrances to two nuclear facilities were sealed off, and some infrastructure was destroyed or damaged.

The anonymous sources told US media it is estimated the attack only set Iran back “a few months, tops”, and that any resumption of its nuclear programme may be based on how long it takes the country to dig out and make repairs.

Sources also confirmed to CBS that some of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile was moved before the strikes, according to the intelligence assessment.

The US 30,000lb (14,000kg) Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb was thought to be the only weapon capable of destroying Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment facilities.