8 hours ago
Last Updated:June 26, 2025, 07:46 IST
CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that credible intelligence shows recent US strikes severely damaged Iran's nuclear program. He said key facilities may take years to rebuild.
A satellite overview shows the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility, along with damage from recent airstrikes (Photo: Reuters)
Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday said a body of credible intelligence indicated that Iran’s nuclear program was severely damaged in the recent US strikes.
He also said the intelligence suggested that the nuclear sites would take years to rebuild.
“This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years," Ratcliffe said in a statement.
Hours before, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Politico that Iran was “much further away from a nuclear weapon" following a US strike on Tehran’s three main nuclear sites over the weekend.
Rubio’s comments came after multiple media reports suggested that those US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities set back Tehran’s program by only a matter of months, citing a preliminary US intelligence assessment through sources.
US President Donald Trump and the White House rejected the assessment.
The President reiterated on his Truth Social account that the Iranian nuclear sites were completely destroyed.
“The bottom line is, they are much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action," Rubio told Politico on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
“That’s the most important thing to understand, significant, very significant, substantial damage was done to a variety of different components, and we’re just learning more about it," Rubio added, referring to the damage done to the Iranian nuclear sites.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
News world 'Iran Nuclear Sites Destroyed In US Strikes': CIA Chief Cites Intelligence Amid Doubts Over Impact
