The US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment that was described by three people briefed on it.

Trump claimed Iran’s nuclear sites sustained “monumental damage,” while other administration officials say an assessment is ongoing.

The US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities have likely inflicted significant damage in the short term. But the technical challenges of destroying deeply buried sites, the possibility of relocated materials,