A range of credible intelligence indicates that Iran's nuclear programme has been seriously affected by recent US strikes.

This was stated by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ma US John Ratcliffe, adding that it would take years to restore this programme, reports "CNN".

"This includes new intelligence from a reliable and accurate source that several key Iranian nuclear facilities have been destroyed and will need to be rebuilt over a period of years," the CIA chief said.

The statement comes a day after CNN and other media outlets reported on a Defense Intelligence Agency preliminary analysis prepared about 24 hours after the strikes that said the U.S. bombing likely delayed Iran's ability to produce a nuclear weapon by only a few months.

The White House rejected that assessment, calling it "flawed." President Donald Trump said the strikes had "obliterated" Iran's ability to produce a weapon.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote in X that "new intelligence" supports the thesis that Iran's nuclear facilities were "destroyed" in the strikes.

"If the Iranians decide to rebuild, they will have to completely rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Asfahan), which will likely take years," Gabbard wrote. | BGNES