CIA Director Says Iran Nuclear Program Severely Damaged by U.S. Strikes

This Tuesday, June 24, 2025, satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damage at Fordow enrichment facility after the US strikes on June 22.Maxar Technologies/AP

Washington, June 26 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that recent U.S. airstrikes had caused severe damage to Iran’s nuclear program, citing credible intelligence indicating that several facilities were destroyed and would require years to rebuild.

In a formal statement, Ratcliffe said the agency had obtained “a body of credible evidence” showing that key components of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure had been effectively dismantled. “This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years,” he said.

The statement came amid public debate over the effectiveness of the U.S. strikes, which targeted Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. A preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), disclosed by CNN, found that the strikes may have only delayed Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon by several months.

The White House has rejected that finding, with President Donald Trump insisting that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capacity.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also posted on X that newly gathered intelligence supported the administration’s position. “New intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed,” she wrote, adding that if Iran chose to rebuild, “they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely.”

Neither Gabbard nor the CIA disclosed further technical details or supporting evidence related to the intelligence findings.