Tel Aviv, July 3 -- The Pentagon now believes that recent Israeli and American strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities have pushed back Tehran's atomic ambitions by up to two years.

"We have degraded their program by one to two years at least," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters on Wednesday, adding, "We're thinking probably closer to two years."

The assessment reflects a growing confidence in the impact of the coordinated strikes. The operation, which involved over 125 US aircraft--including B-2 stealth bombers, fighter jets, and aerial tankers--targeted Iran's nuclear infrastructure at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. In parallel, a US guided missile submarine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at a third facility. According to Pa...