Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has publicly confirmed for the first time the scale of destruction caused by recent United States military strikes on the country’s nuclear infrastructure.
In a televised interview aired Thursday, Araghchi described the aftermath as severe, stating the attacks inflicted “significant and serious damages” on three nuclear sites.
“I have to say, the losses have not been small, and our facilities have been seriously damaged,” he acknowledged, while the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran continues to evaluate the full impact.
The remarks diverged sharply from earlier statements by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had downplayed the damage. In a prerecorded video address, Khamenei dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been “obliterated” as “exaggerated,” asserting that the strikes “were unable to do anything important.”
Amid heightened tensions, Araghchi warned of a potential shift in Tehran’s relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He indicated that a scheduled visit by IAEA Director Rafael Grossi would not be accommodated, and suggested that Iran may halt cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Further escalating the standoff, Iran’s Guardian Council approved a bill passed by Parliament’s hardline bloc, which would effectively sever ties with the IAEA. The legislation is a direct response to the strikes on Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Although President Masoud Pezeshkian has not yet signed it into law, Araghchi signaled the government’s readiness to act on it.
“Without a doubt, we are obliged to enforce this law,” he stated during the interview. “From now on,” he added, “Iran’s relationship with the agency will take a different shape.”
Key questions remain unresolved following the attacks, particularly regarding Iran’s stockpile of approximately 400 kilograms of enriched uranium—an amount sufficient for producing up to 10 nuclear weapons—and the operational status of advanced centrifuges at the damaged sites.
IAEA inspectors could help clarify these issues if allowed access to the affected facilities. Their inspections would verify Tehran’s claims of ongoing repair efforts and resumption of nuclear activities.
Some analysts believe Iran’s ambiguity is strategic. Tehran may be using its cooperation with the IAEA as leverage in potential nuclear negotiations with the West. The lack of clear information also fuels speculation, allowing Iran to maintain diplomatic advantage.
“Iran wants to keep everything in the dark, to make sure they can play the diplomatic game of poker about the extent of the damages to the sites and the fate of the pile of enriched uranium,” said Sina Azodi, an expert on Iran’s nuclear program and assistant professor of Middle East Politics at George Washington University. “Nobody knows exactly what is going on, there are many conflicting reports, and Iran is using the confusion to its benefit.”
Despite assertions from President Trump and his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, that diplomatic engagement with Tehran is imminent, Araghchi denied any such developments.
“Whether or not we return to diplomacy with the United States is now under consideration and will depend on our national interests,” he said. “No agreement had yet been reached with the United States to resume them.”
He concluded, “Going through a war changes many realities. The situation before and after the war is very different, and diplomacy must adjust itself to this new reality.”
