'The biggest risk is that the will to build a bomb has risen'

Donald Trump claimed that Iran's nuclear facilities “have been completely and totally obliterated” after last weekend's attack on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

- Steve Bloomfield & Ruth Michaelson

But experts are less sure.

“Tactically, the military operations were very impressive,” said Ankit Panda, author of The New Nuclear Age. “But strategically they have been a complete failure and the evidence will bear that out in the coming months and years.”

How much damage did the bombing cause?

Tunnels within Fordow and Natanz were designed to protect against far more powerful nuclear strikes as the sites are buried deep within mountains, said Abdolrasool Divsallar, an expert on weapons proliferation. “These strikes could damage the shaft, or part of the tunnel, but are unlikely to make the whole facility dysfunctional. They could maybe cause minor damage, with the possibility to recover in a short period of time,” he said.

What impact has it had on Iran’s nuclear programme?