Goa, June 26 -- CIA Director John Ratcliffe announced on Wednesday that new intelligence confirms extensive and long-term damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure as a result of recent U.S. airstrikes, challenging earlier reports that downplayed the impact.

Ratcliffe stated the CIA had received credible intelligence indicating that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years." The agency, he noted, had sourced the information through historically reliable channels.

"The CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran's nuclear program has been severely damaged by the recent targeted strikes," Ratcliffe said. "This includes new intelligence from a reliabl...