Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has confirmed in an interview with CBS News that the U.S. bombing of Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility has caused significant damage.
“While the full details remain unclear, we can confirm that the facility has sustained serious and substantial damage,” Araghchi stated in the interview, portions of which were released earlier.
He added that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is currently assessing the extent of the damage and will present its findings to the government in due course.
On Tuesday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told a press conference that the country’s nuclear sites had sustained “serious damage” in the Israeli and US bombing campaigns, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news outlet reports.
However, the Washington Post reported on Sunday that intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the extent of damage caused by US strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, citing four people familiar with classified intelligence circulating within the US government.
President Donald Trump has said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, but US officials acknowledge it will take time to form a complete assessment of the damage caused by the strikes.
U.S. sources say Iran prepared to mine the key Strait of Hormuz after Israel launched airstrikes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Iranian military placed naval mines onto vessels in the Persian Gulf last month, raising alarms in Washington that Tehran was preparing to potentially block the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli airstrikes on its territory, according to two U.S. officials.
The activity, previously undisclosed and detected by U.S. intelligence, took place shortly after Israel launched initial strikes on Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities on June 13, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the intelligence.
Although the mines have yet to be deployed, their loading signals that Iran may have been seriously considering shutting down the vital shipping passage — a move that could have significantly escalated the conflict and disrupted global trade.
About one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz and a blockage would likely have spiked world energy prices.
Global benchmark oil prices LCOc1 have instead fallen more than 10 percent since the United States strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, driven in part by relief that the conflict did not trigger significant disruptions in the oil trade.
On June 22, shortly after the US bombed three of Iran’s key nuclear sites in a bid to cripple Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran’s parliament reportedly backed a measure to block the strait.
That decision was not binding, and it was up to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council to make a final decision on the closure, Iran’s Press TV said at the time. Iran has over the years threatened to close the strait but has never followed through on that threat.
Reuters was not able to determine precisely when during the Israel-Iran air war Tehran loaded the mines, which – if deployed – would have effectively stopped ships from moving through the key thoroughfare.
It remains unclear whether the mines have since been removed from the Iranian vessels.
The U.S. sources did not specify how the intelligence was obtained, but such assessments are typically based on satellite imagery, covert human intelligence, or a combination of both.
When asked about Iran’s reported actions, a White House official responded, “Thanks to the President’s brilliant execution of Operation Midnight Hammer, the successful campaign against the Houthis, and the maximum pressure strategy, the Strait of Hormuz remains open, freedom of navigation has been restored, and Iran has been significantly weakened.”
The Pentagon did not immediately offer a comment, nor did Iran’s mission to the United Nations respond to requests for a statement.
