President Donald Trump insisted on Wednesday, June 25th, that U.S. strikes resulted in the “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, setting the country’s atomic programme back by “decades.”
“They’re not going to be building bombs for a long time,” said Trump, who added that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran after the strikes was going “very well.”
Over a 12-day conflict, Israel pounded Iranian nuclear and military sites while Iran launched waves of missiles at its foe during their deadliest-ever confrontation.
The United States joined the fray in support of its ally, hitting two nuclear facilities with massive bunker-buster bombs over the weekend, while a guided missile from a submarine struck a third.
But leaked U.S. intelligence cast doubt on the damage caused by American strikes, saying they had set back Tehran’s nuclear programme by just a few months.
Israel’s military said it was “still early” to assess the damage caused to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, Donald Trump also said on Wednesday he believed that “great progress” was being made to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“I think great progress is being made on Gaza, I think because of this attack that we made,” said Trump, suggesting the U.S. strikes on Iran could have a positive impact on the Middle East.
