Iran has confirmed that its Fordow nuclear facility was “heavily and severely” damaged by US bombing raids that used bunker-buster bombs, although it insists that the true extent of the damage is in doubt.
Talking to CBS News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed ongoing assessments. “Nobody exactly knows what has occurred at Fordow. However, what is known up to now is that the facilities have been heavily and gravely damaged,” he said in an interview broadcast Tuesday.
Fordow, one of Iran’s most critical nuclear facilities, is situated almost entirely underground in mountainous country. Araghchi said Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation was doing a comprehensive analysis. “The Atomic Energy Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently performing evaluation and assessment, the outcome of which will be submitted to the government,” he said.
In parallel, Iranian communications intercepted by Israel hinted at Israeli intelligence that the destruction might not be as widespread as publicly recognized. The Washington Post, in a Sunday report quoting four people with familiarity with classified information, stated that those communications seemed to minimize the extent of the strikes.
Differing starkly from Iran’s carefully worded statements, US President Donald Trump issued a statement that said the attacks had ‘completely and totally obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program. Nevertheless, American intelligence officials said it will take some more time in order to fully determine the outcome of the strikes, which took place a week ago.
How the Attacks Went Down
The most recent round of violence started on June 13, when Israel conducted attacks targeting Iran’s best scientists and military leaders. Retaliating, Iran launched missiles against several Israeli cities, causing widespread damage.
On June 21, America entered the fray, striking Iran’s three main nuclear sites; Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. Trump went on to label the operations as ‘very very successful’, asserting Tehran’s nuclear program had been eradicated. However, an independent US intelligence analysis presented a more cautious assessment, opining the effect may not have been as comprehensive.
A truce, brokered by Washington, was established on June 24. Although both sides have accused the other of violating the truce, it has held in large part since then.
