Iranian FM admits US-Israel strikes caused ‘serious damage' to its nuclear sites
Tehran, June 27 (UNI) Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday acknowledged that US and Israeli strikes had done "serious harm" to its nuclear sites, directly contradicting the stance of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the country's paramilitary group, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
"This damage has not been minor — serious harm has been done to our facilities. They are currently conducting a thorough assessment of the damage," he said in an interview with the state broadcaster IRIB News, referring to Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, reports Iran International.
Khamenei had earlier boasted that Iran had dealt a 'crushing blow' to the Israeli Defence Forces, and said that the US airstrikes on June 22 did very minimal damage to its nuclear facilities, a stance maintained by the IRGC's top commanders, though the statement was staunchly rebuked and mocked by Jerusalem.
Araghchi added that Tehran would not allow the UN nuclear watchdog chief Raphael Grossi into the country as the parliament considers exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which mandates inspections.
"For now, we do not intend to allow Mr Grossi into Tehran. As for the inspectors, it still needs to be reviewed — if their presence aligns with parliamentary law, we'll consider it. But clearly, if they want to inspect the destroyed facilities, it means they're trying to assess the extent of the damage."
He further accused Israel and the US of starting a war with the country, even though Tehran was willing to come to the negotiating table regarding its nuclear programme.
The primary interlocutor behind the Iran-US talks in the last two months, which ended with Israel's surprise attack earlier this month, the FM further warned against the triggering of United Nations "snapback" sanctions.
"Iran's nuclear issue will become far more complex and difficult if the snapback mechanism is triggered — just as they made things more complicated by launching a war," Araghchi added, signalling a hard line on reviving talks or making a nuclear deal.
"They thought they could destroy our nuclear facilities, leave us empty-handed at the negotiating table, and then say, 'Come, let's negotiate.' That didn't happen.'"
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