The US intelligence disputes Israel's claims: Iran is still far from a nuclear bomb.

While Israel declared that Iran is rapidly approaching the critical point in its nuclear program and that Operation "People like a Lion" is necessary to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, CNN reported that according to US intelligence assessments, the situation is fundamentally different. According to US sources, not only is Iran not actively seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but it is also at least 3 years away from the ability to produce and deliver such a weapon.

Israel inflicted significant damage on the Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz and an important enrichment facility in Isfahan, thereby attempting to slow down Iran's nuclear program. Nevertheless, the fortified facility in Fordow remains untouched, and the US, which has a powerful bomb capable of penetrating it, has not yet joined the operation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has stated that Iran has accumulated enough enriched uranium to produce nine nuclear bombs. But the challenge for Iran is not only to produce a "raw" nuclear charge, which experts say it can do within a few months, but also to create an effective delivery system.

US intelligence expresses concern that the Israeli attacks could actually push Iran to decide to pursue nuclear weapons, something it has so far managed to avoid. However, according to an intelligence source, "Iran is confused at the moment. It is uncertain whether it has the capacity or knowledge to develop a nuclear weapon."