As the dust still settles following the U.S. attack on Iran\u2019s nuclear sites, analysts say the next steps will determine whether the Islamic Republic\u2019s atomic ambitions have truly been crippled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commenting on the mission, President Donald Trump<\/a> wrote on Truth Social that: “The damage to the Nuclear sites in Iran is said to be “monumental.” The hits were hard and accurate. Great skill was shown by our military. Thank you!”<\/p>\n Also on Sunday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters, “Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.” He added it was far too early to comment “on what may or may not still be there.”<\/p>\n A senior Israeli security source told Fox News Digital, “It\u2019s still too soon to know for sure, but it appears the sites were seriously damaged \u2014 it looks excellent.”<\/p>\n HERE\u2019S WHAT A POST-AYATOLLAH IRAN COULD LOOK LIKE IF WAR WITH ISRAEL LEADS TO REGIME\u2019S FALL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “History is being written,” said Reserve Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and a former IDF intelligence chief. “This is a powerful development<\/a> that significantly weakens the Iranian threat and highlights the deep cooperation between Israel and the United States. But the journey is far from over.”<\/p>\n According to Kuperwasser, the strikes caused heavy damage<\/a> to core parts of Iran\u2019s nuclear infrastructure. “But I don\u2019t think the program is destroyed,” he told Fox News Digital. “They still have enriched uranium, the ability to produce centrifuges, and scientists. We killed many, but not all. And even the bombed facilities \u2014 we don\u2019t know for sure that nothing remains.”<\/p>\n Kuperwasser emphasized that while Tehran may retain some nuclear assets, a key strategic threshold has now been crossed. “Until now, everything was covert: sabotage, diplomacy, sanctions. But now, military action has proven far more effective. If Iran<\/a> tries to restart its program, they know we \u2014 and the Americans \u2014 are prepared to strike again.”<\/p>\n Sima Shein, a former senior Mossad official and Iran expert at Israel\u2019s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), agreed that Iran\u2019s capabilities have been degraded, but not eliminated.<\/p>\n ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT: LIVE UPDATES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “There\u2019s no doubt these were the three most important sites,” Shein told Fox News Digital, referring to the U.S. strike Saturday night that hit Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, but claimed “Iran has dispersed its enriched uranium \u2014 both 60% and 20% \u2014 across various unknown locations. They\u2019ve likely hidden advanced centrifuges as well, because production oversight hasn\u2019t existed for years.”<\/p>\n She added that if a future diplomatic agreement is reached, the first condition must be “full disclosure and removal” of all remaining fissile material.<\/p>\n EXPERT CONFIDENT IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS ‘NO LONGER’ AFTER MASSIVE US STRIKE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital that all remaining Iranian nuclear facilities must be completely dismantled and referred to FDD expert’s plan, which outlined a strategy for the permanent dismantlement of Tehran\u2019s nuclear weapons enterprise.\u00a0<\/p>\n