Israel claims years of delay in Iran’s nuclear program after strikes

ISTANBUL

Israel claimed on Wednesday that its military offensive on Iran has caused years of delay in the Iranian nuclear program.

“We assess that the American strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran's military nuclear program, has set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

Citing a report by the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC), the statement said US strikes on the Fordo nuclear facility, the main enrichment facility of Iran, “destroyed the site's critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable.”

“The achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material,” it added.

Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran on June 13, including military and nuclear facilities, alleging that Tehran was on the verge of producing a nuclear bomb, a claim vehemently denied by Iran.

While Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, the US joined the conflict by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.

After 12 days of aerial combat between the two regional arch-foes, US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end their conflict.