As the Israeli occupation launched a series of strikes on Iranian territory last week, it justified its actions by claiming Iran was rapidly approaching nuclear weapons capability.

However, US intelligence officials offered a sharply different assessment, concluding that Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear bomb and is likely still years away from being able to build and deliver one to a target of its choosing, CNN reported, citing four people familiar with the assessment.

According to the officials, the US assesses that Iran is at least three years away from developing a deployable nuclear weapon.

One US official told CNN that despite the extensive Israeli bombing campaign, including the heavily damaged Natanz enrichment facility, Iran’s core nuclear capability, particularly at Fordow, remains largely intact.

Fordow, a fortified enrichment plant built deep into a mountain, has not been significantly affected by the airstrikes. Experts say the site cannot be destroyed without advanced US weaponry, including bunker-busting bombs and B-2 bombers, which the Israeli military does not possess.

Fordow facility remains untouched, raises military dilemma

“Israel can hover over those nuclear facilities, render them inoperable, but if you really want to dismantle them it’s either a US military strike or a deal,” said Brett McGurk, a former US diplomat and Middle East expert.

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The Trump administration faces a growing dilemma: while publicly distancing itself from the Israeli military operation, it acknowledges that only the US military has the capacity to eliminate key parts of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, especially Fordow.

Trump told ABC News, “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” reflecting internal White House tensions between isolationist advisers and hawkish Republican allies pushing for stronger support for "Israel".

At the recent G7 summit in Canada, Trump urged Iran and "Israel" to enter negotiations “before it’s too late.” While taking a typical favorable stance toward "Israel", Trump has made clear that Iran must agree to strict nuclear curbs. “Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” he posted on Truth Social, reiterating his call for Tehran residents to evacuate the city.

Meanwhile, Iran has informed mediators in Qatar and Oman that it will not engage in talks while under active attack from "Israel". Tehran’s stance suggests that any US-brokered resolution is unlikely in the short term, as airstrikes continue and casualties mount.

"Iran should have signed the “deal” I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" –President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/oniUSgsMWA

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 16, 2025

The US military is repositioning assets in response to the intensifying war. The USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group has been ordered to the Middle East “without delay", a US official confirmed. Naval forces capable of intercepting ballistic missiles are also moving toward the eastern Mediterranean, where US warships have already defended "Israel" against missile attacks on at least two occasions over the weekend.

Intelligence gap widens as IAEA warns of uranium stockpile

The divergence in assessments between "Israel" and the US intelligence community is not new. In March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before Congress that Iran had not resumed work on a nuclear weapons program since halting it in 2003.

Yet Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted during a Fox News interview that the intelligence "shared with the United States" clearly indicated that Iran was “working in a secret plan to weaponize uranium.”

A satellite image released on June 14 showed no visible damage to the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, reinforcing fears that the Israeli strikes have not achieved their strategic goal.

“If this ends with Fordow intact, you could actually have a worse problem,” McGurk warned. “You could actually have Iran more inclined to go to a nuclear weapon, and they have that infrastructure intact.”