Iran’s Foreign Minister admits damage done to the country’s nuclear sites by US bunker-busting strikes

14:20 02.07.2025 •

The US bombing of Iran’s key Fordow nuclear site “seriously and heavily” damaged the facility, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to the IRNA news agency.

"No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araghchi said in the interview with CBS News.

"The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently conducting an assessment, the results of which will be presented to the government," he added.

When asked whether Iran would be able to enrich uranium within several months, Araghchi responded that the technologies and scientific achievements in uranium enrichment cannot be destroyed by bombing.

"The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently undertaking evaluation and assessment, the report of which will be submitted to the government," he added.

When asked whether Iran would be able to enrich uranium within several months, Araghchi responded that the technologies and scientific achievements in uranium enrichment cannot be destroyed by bombing.

"If we have the willpower, and we do, to make progress again in this industry, we can quickly repair the damage and make up for lost time.  No one is saying that the equipment is intact; it's about the technologies and know-how, which remain," the minister stated.

Abbas Araghchi also mentioned a fatwa (religious edict) issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei prohibiting nuclear weapons.  According to it, nuclear weapons are forbidden on religious grounds.

During a July 2 phone call with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Araghchi said that "the Islamic Republic of Iran will seriously pursue its right to identify the aggressor and receive compensation in international organizations."

 

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