Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has acknowledged for the first time the full scale of destruction inflicted on the country’s nuclear infrastructure by recent U.S. military strikes.
Speaking in an interview broadcast on state television Thursday, Araghchi said the attacks caused “significant and serious damages” to three of Iran’s nuclear sites.
While the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran continues to assess the extent of the destruction, Araghchi admitted, “I have to say, the losses have not been small, and our facilities have been seriously damaged.”
His comments starkly contrasted with earlier remarks from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who downplayed the impact of the strikes. In a prerecorded video message, Khamenei dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s statements that the facilities had been “obliterated” as “exaggerated,” claiming the attacks “were unable to do anything important.”
In a potential escalation, Araghchi indicated that Tehran may withdraw its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear monitoring body. He noted that a planned visit by IAEA Director Rafael Grossi would not be welcomed at this time.
Adding to the tension, Iran’s powerful Guardian Council ratified a controversial bill passed by hard-liners in Parliament that would effectively sever ties with the IAEA in retaliation for the weekend airstrikes on the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites.
Though President Masoud Pezeshkian has yet to sign it into law, Araghchi affirmed the administration’s intention to implement it fully.
“Without a doubt, we are obliged to enforce this law,” he said during the hourlong interview. “From now on,” he continued, “Iran’s relationship with the agency will take a different shape.”
Several critical questions about Iran’s nuclear capabilities remain unanswered in the aftermath of the attacks. Among them: the fate of approximately 400 kilograms (about 880 pounds) of enriched uranium, enough material to potentially produce 10 nuclear weapons and whether any of the country’s advanced centrifuges were left operational.
UN inspectors could clarify these issues if granted access to the damaged sites. They would also be able to verify whether Iran is actively repairing the facilities and resuming its nuclear activities, as officials in Tehran have claimed.
Analysts believe Iran may be using its IAEA cooperation as a bargaining chip in future nuclear talks with the West. The ambiguity surrounding the damage may also be a deliberate tactic by Tehran to maintain strategic uncertainty.
“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 claims by Trump and his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, that diplomatic talks with Tehran would soon resume, Araghchi denied any confirmed plans for negotiations.
“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 added, “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.”
Farnaz Fassihi is the United Nations bureau chief for The Times. She covers Iran and has spent over 15 years reporting on conflict in the Middle East.