Iran FM admits “ serious damage ” to nuclear sites despite the denial of ayatollah

The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, admitted to an interview on state television that the strikes of the United States caused serious damage to the nuclear installations of Tehran, despite the insistence of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that there was a minimal impact.

Araghchi declared in the interview that “the level of damage is high and that these are serious damage”, according to the Associated Press.

Post-attribution assessments have shown that Iran’s nuclear sites have suffered damage to American and Israeli attacks. The three countries – Iran, Israel and the United States – have reached similar conclusions on the extent of damage, despite the Intel report.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi contradicts Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the extent of the damage caused by American strikes on the country’s nuclear installations. (Associated Press)

Iran, Israel and the United States agree that the nuclear sites of the Islamic Republic have been “seriously damaged” despite the intel disclosure report

The only leader who does not agree with the evaluations is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said that “the Americans had done nothing significant in their attack on nuclear installations”, according to reports.

Khamenei seems to be more focused on the projection of force than to reflect reality. He described Iran’s attack on Al-Wudeid, the American air base in Qatar, as a “heavy slap in the face of the United States”. While President Donald Trump rejected him as a “very weak answer” and thanked Iran for giving the United States a “early notice”.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), Rafael Grossi, said in a declaration On Tuesday, the agency had “experienced significant damage on several nuclear sites in Iran, including its conversion and enrichment facilities of uranium”.

This satellite photo of Planet Labs PBC shows the Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment site in Fordo after the American air strikes targeting the installation on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Iran trying to “save the face” after an American strike on nuclear sites, says the expert

In addition to discussing the damage caused to Iran’s nuclear sites, Araghchi also discussed the possibility of resuming talks with the United States, he said that American strikes “make more complicated and more difficult” for Iran to come to the table, but has not excluded the possibility that negotiations can resume.

Nuclear talks with the United States may not be entirely out of table for Iran after last week’s strikes, even if Tehran is not interested in immediately reinstating negotiations.

The possibility of negotiations was already in question before the Midnight Hammer operation, because Tehran considered the United States to be “accomplices” of the Israel Rising Lion operation, According to Reutersquoting the Iranian Ambassador of the UN Ali Bahreini.

US vice-president JD Vance, from left to left, American president Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, and Pete Hegseth, US defense secretary during a speech to the nation in the east house in the White House in Washington, DC, in the United States on Saturday, June 21, 2025. (Carlos Barria / Reuters / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice calls us strikes on Iran a “ arm in the arm ” for American credibility

Trump expressed his optimism in the United States’s ability to take over nuclear talks with Iran on Wednesday.

“We are going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We can sign an agreement, I don’t know. For me, I don’t think it’s necessary. I mean, they have had a war. They have fought. Now, they go back to their world. I don’t care if I don’t have an agreement or not. But we have destroyed nuclear,” said Trump.

Despite Trump’s declaration, there is still no indication that countries plan to meet in the near future.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.