Israeli official: ‘Iran is no longer a nuclear threshold state’ after 12-day war

The elimination of scientists hampered Iran’s production of EMPs, or bombs that release electromagnetic energy and have the power to cripple electrical networks.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Following the 12-day war against Iran, the Islamic Republic is “no longer a nuclear threshold state,” an Israeli official told The Washington Post.

The Post’s report detailed the setbacks to Iran’s nuclear program following U.S. and Israeli strikes in June.

The strikes damaged Iran’s supply of ballistic missiles, most of its launchers, crippled its nuclear fission and fusion bomb-making programs, and eliminated almost all of its top nuclear scientists.

The war destroyed Tehran’s 3,000 ballistic missiles and 80% of its 500 missile launchers.

Iran was in the process of building its supply of ballistic missiles to 8,000, and delays in striking Iran would have provided the regime with the time and means to expand its arsenal.

During the operation, Israel had the “unwelcome surprise” of discovering that Iran had a much larger supply of solid-fuel missiles—which are more difficult to shoot down—than had been anticipated.

During the first few days of the war, Israel managed to assassinate all of its first- and second-tier, and most of its third-tier, nuclear scientists.

In addition, the Post reports that many young Iranians may be unwilling to pursue nuclear science as a career path out of fear of being killed.

The elimination of scientists hampered Iran’s production of EMPs, or bombs that release electromagnetic energy and have the power to cripple electrical networks.

EMPs were a priority for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) because they would bypass a fatwa Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had issued against nuclear weapons.

In spite of the fatwa, Iran was on the way to developing a nuclear bomb.

According to David Ignatius of The Washington Post, Israeli officials report that Israel was on its way to defeating the regime before U.S. President Donald Trump announced a cease-fire.

Ignatius wrote, “Israel was moving into a final phase of attacks intended to topple the regime.”

Trump ordered Israel to call back planes that were on their way to “forcefully strike Tehran” and castigated Israel for reportedly breaking the cease-fire.