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 the air strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.