The US-made B-2 Spirit bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities -- Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan -- on June 22 using more than a dozen 30,000-pound (13,600 kg) bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.

Hammer led to the "total obliteration of Iran's nuclear ambitions," a Pentagon spokesperson said. Iranian officials have told Al-Monitor they intend to continue to enrich uranium domestically.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.