The Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. strikes carried out on 22 June have set back Iran’s nuclear programme by one to two years, with intelligence assessments “probably closer to two years,” according to chief spokesman Sean Parnell. The announcement is the first detailed public estimate of the damage since the operation. B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and a U.S. Navy submarine hit three hardened facilities—Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan—using more than a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs and over two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles. Parnell described the targeted infrastructure as having been “completely obliterated.” The new assessment is markedly more optimistic than a preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency report leaked last week that suggested the strikes might delay Tehran’s programme only by months. Independent analysts and IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi remain cautious, noting that Iran could resume high-level enrichment within months and may have moved much of its near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile before the attack. Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA and acknowledged severe damage at Fordow, though Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the government does not yet have a full picture of the destruction. With diplomatic channels strained after a 12-day conflict that also involved Israel, U.S. officials say they are monitoring Iran’s response while continuing to refine their post-strike intelligence estimates.