CIA director defends strikes on Iran: Nuclear program delayed for years
CIA Director John Ratcliffe (Photo: Getty Images)
CIA Director John Ratcliffe assured skeptical US lawmakers that American strikes on Iran have set back the country’s nuclear program by years, according to The Washington Times.
During closed-door hearings, Ratcliffe reported that the only metal processing facility in Iran was destroyed and that Tehran’s nuclear program suffered massive damage, the recovery from which will take years.
He also cited intelligence assessments indicating that most of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium is likely buried under the rubble in Isfahan and Fordow.
Ratcliffe added that the loss of the metal processing facility effectively deprives Tehran of the ability to build a nuclear bomb for many years to come.
Elimination of Iran’s nuclear program
Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 13, and the US joined the operation on June 22. According to the Pentagon, the strikes destroyed Iran’s nuclear program.
However, European intelligence believes that Iran may have managed to remove some of its enriched uranium beforehand.
According to IAEA estimates, it would take Tehran just a few months to replenish its enriched uranium stockpile.
Meanwhile, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN declared that Tehran will never abandon its uranium enrichment programs, despite all the demands from the US and Israel.
