CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday that credible intelligence indicated Iran's nuclear program was “severely damaged” in recent US airstrikes and that several key sites were “destroyed.”

“The CIA can confirm that a credible body of information indicates that Iran's nuclear program has been seriously damaged by the recent targeted attacks,” Ratcliffe wrote in a statement posted on social media.

“This includes new information from a historically reliable source and method indicating that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and will need to be rebuilt over the next several years,” the statement said.

An initial assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) that was leaked Tuesday found that the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities did not destroy them and only set back the country's nuclear program by “a few months.”

The DIA emphasized in a statement Wednesday that its findings were inconclusive and that it had not yet been able to review the physical sites, which would give “a better indication.”

Prior to Ratcliffe's remarks, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, also noted that “Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed” and accused the media of selectively publishing “snippets of illegally leaked, classified intelligence assessments.”

The US offensive, with which the United States entered Israel's conflict with Iran, involved 125 aircraft, including seven B-2 bombers, refueling tankers, reconnaissance aircraft, and fighter jets. Seventy-five bombs and missiles were also used.

The precise damage inflicted on Iran's nuclear facilities and the viability of its broader program have become politically sensitive issues, with Trump and his top officials denouncing the leak of the DIA report and the media outlets that reported on it.

Democratic lawmakers have accused the White House of possibly exaggerating the impact of the attacks.