Officials in Israel are acknowledging that some enriched uranium may have survived the powerful U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last month.

What many have called a "fragile" ceasefire between Israel and Iran remains in place following nearly two weeks of missile strikes, which included the U.S. dropping "bunker-busting" bombs on Iran's three nuclear sites. But questions remain about how much damage the operation actually did.

The U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, 2025, sent shock waves around the world. It marked a dramatic reversal for the Trump administration, which had just initiated negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program.

The Pentagon on Wednesday sharpened its assessment of Iran's nuclear program, declaring that Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon following the U.S. strike on its nuclear facilities is "closer to two years" away.

The seemingly contradictory reports on the success of the US strike on Iran—with the White House claiming “obliteration” and a leaked intel assessment suggesting a setback of only “months”—may both be rooted in the same intelligence.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump tried to keep a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran in place Tuesday as reports emerged indicating the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities over the weekend was not as successful as he initially claimed.

We’re thinking probably closer to two years — like degraded their program by two years,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Wednesday.

The process of uranium enrichment increases the concentration of U-235, an isotope that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction. Beginning in 2006, the U.N. Security Council called on Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment, but it endorsed the JCPOA on July 20, 2015.

With questions mounting over the impact of the U.S. and Israeli onslaught on Iran’s nuclear facilities and military infrastructure, a return to hostilities could be a matter of when, not if.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium.

The United Kingdom, France and Germany have agreed to restore tough U.N. sanctions on Iran by the end of August if there has been no concrete progress on a nuclear deal, two European diplomats said Tuesday.