As the situation in the Middle East continues to be tense, the question of whether Iran’s key nuclear facilities have been destroyed by the United States military has become the focus of international public opinion and diplomatic games. The U.S. government has claimed in a high profile manner that it has “eliminated” the three major nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, but the Iranian side has insisted that “the technical systems are still in place”, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said that “on-site verification is still required”. The International Atomic Energy Agency says “on-site verification is still needed”. Amid a complex mix of signals, the world is watching closely to see where this event, which has the potential to spark a larger regional conflict, leads.
Trump Declares “Successful Destruction”
On the evening of June 21, local time, former U.S. President and Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump declared at a rally that “U.S. military forces have destroyed Iran’s three nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, with pinpoint accuracy of targeting, and the strikes were thorough.” He further stated that these nuclear programs “pose a great threat to global stability” and that “Iran must now reconsider its role in regional and global affairs.”
This statement was quickly and widely reported in the mainstream U.S. media. The White House Office of Security Adviser said it was “an intelligence-led strike based on intelligence” that successfully destroyed Iran’s uranium enrichment and R&D capabilities. “Iran’s nuclear program will be forced to regress five to ten years.” The CIA director emphasized in a subsequent interview.
Iran Insists “Damage is Limited.”
In response, the Iranian government gave a strong rebuttal. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Qanani said at a news conference, “The United States is exaggerating, although Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has been attacked, but the core technology and facilities are intact. Our nuclear research and development program will not be stopped.”
Iranian state television broadcast footage of the suspected Fordo nuclear site, showing that some of the facilities were damaged, but the exterior of the main plant remained intact. Meanwhile, the Tehran Times quoted sources within the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran as saying that the damage to the equipment was “mainly concentrated in the above-ground transmission and peripheral defense systems” and that the underground core installations were “unharmed.”
International Atomic Energy Agency
In the U.S.-Iranian disagreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a statement on June 28, saying that its preliminary analysis concluded that the ground-level buildings at Fordow and Natanz had indeed suffered heavy damage, and that the key power supply and transmission lines had been blown up, but it was not yet possible to judge the actual condition of the underground centrifuges and the high-purity uranium storage system.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi noted, “We have still not been granted access to the areas in question and cannot yet confirm whether the highly enriched uranium has been moved or destroyed.” He added, “We strongly appeal to all parties concerned to allow international inspectors access to the site as soon as possible.”
Satellite Images Show Signs of Repair
Meanwhile, high-resolution satellite images provided by some civilian intelligence companies show that Iran is deploying a large number of excavation machinery and construction workers in the Fordo area, suspected to be carrying out repairs or bunker reinforcement. Some experts speculate that Iran may be trying to repair key components and cover up the extent of damage.
U.S. “Defense News” pointed out that in the past, Iran has repeatedly been damaged after the rapid resumption of the operation of nuclear facilities, and centrifuges have been relocated or upgraded. There is no definitive evidence as to whether similar measures were taken this time.
U.S. Internal Intelligence Assessments Are Mixed
It is worth noting that internal U.S. assessments of the effectiveness of a strike are not entirely consistent. A briefing note initially leaked by the Pentagon concluded that the strike was “successful” but “limited damage” and that Iran could rebuild key capabilities within “six months”. However, the CIA’s latest report reversed this judgment, saying that “the impact of the strike exceeded expectations” and that key components were “difficult to rebuild in the short term”. Some analysts have pointed out that this difference in assessment may reflect differences within the U.S. on whether to further intervene in Middle East affairs.
Mixed Reactions, Rising Risk of Conflict
In response to the U.S. strikes, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he “strongly condemns military actions not authorized by the United Nations” and accused the U.S. of “deliberately provoking regional instability”. China’s foreign ministry called on “all parties to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue” and opposed “unilateralism and behavior that undermines regional peace”.
On the EU side, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Borrelli warned that “any form of military escalation could deal a serious blow to the global energy supply chain” and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
UN Secretary-General Guterres also expressed “grave concern” and called for “an immediate and neutral investigation to prevent further escalation” in a letter to the Security Council.
Is it destroyed? Still need to be seen
Comprehensive information from all sides, Iran’s nuclear facilities in the attack suffered varying degrees of damage, the ground structure and peripheral systems were severely damaged, and have been finalized. However, whether the underground core device is intact, whether uranium enrichment is interrupted, and whether high-purity nuclear material is safe, still need to rely on the results of field investigations to further confirm.
In any case, this incident has become a new turning point in the Iranian nuclear issue, and the next few weeks will be extremely critical. If the IAEA verification results confirm that Iran still retains the ability to recover quickly, it may trigger a wider range of geopolitical turmoil; on the contrary, if the damage exceeds expectations, it may also open up a new space for diplomatic mediation.
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