Tehran — Iran’s foreign minister has publicly acknowledged that the country’s nuclear infrastructure sustained “excessive and serious” damage during recent US and Israeli airstrikes, contradicting earlier remarks by the country’s Supreme Leader who insisted the strikes had not disrupted the programme.
Speaking to a state broadcaster on Thursday evening, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) is currently assessing the full extent of the damage caused to the nuclear sites.
His admission marks the first official acknowledgment of the impact of the joint military operation carried out by the United States and Israel, which targeted three major facilities — Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
“These were excessive strikes and have indeed caused serious harm,” Araghchi stated, without offering further details on the current operational status of the sites.
The statement stands in sharp contrast to remarks made just hours earlier by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a rare televised address since he went into hiding at the start of the conflict with Israel on June 13, Khamenei claimed the airstrikes had “failed to accomplish anything significant.” He dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claim that the bombings had “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites as an “exaggeration.”
Khamenei also attempted to portray the conflict as a strategic victory for Iran, asserting that the Islamic Republic had “defeated the enemies’ ambitions” and that its nuclear programme remained intact.
However, Araghchi’s more measured and somber assessment paints a different picture of the aftermath. His remarks also came with a clear message: Iran is not considering a return to nuclear negotiations with the United States anytime soon.
“I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations,” he said.
Araghchi added that Iran is evaluating its options based on what is in the “interest of the Iranian people,” and hinted that the country’s diplomatic strategy would take a “new form” — though he did not elaborate on what that might entail.
Efforts to revive diplomacy have continued on the sidelines, with reports from CNN suggesting that the Trump administration is exploring ways to entice Iran back to the negotiating table.
These include proposals to ease sanctions, unfreeze billions in restricted Iranian funds, and offer assistance in developing a civilian nuclear energy programme.
Yet, new developments within Iran suggest that such efforts may face substantial obstacles. On Wednesday, the Iranian parliament passed a bill to cease all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
If enacted, the measure would halt inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, a move likely to heighten international concern.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s own preliminary assessment, leaked earlier this week, appears to downplay the impact of the strikes, estimating that Iran’s programme has been delayed by only a few months — in contrast to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s public assertion that the attacks had set it back by years.
The conflict has claimed a heavy toll on both sides. Iran’s health ministry reports 610 civilian deaths during the 12-day Israeli air campaign, while Israeli officials have confirmed 28 fatalities from Iranian retaliation.
The geopolitical fallout from the strikes continues to unfold, as both nations assess the damage — physical, political, and diplomatic — left in the wake of the escalating conflict.