Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed in an interview with CBS News that the U.S. airstrike on the Fordow nuclear facility caused "serious and extensive damage," as Iran continues to assess the full impact.
“While no one can say with absolute certainty what took place inside Fordow, what we do know is that the site suffered significant damage,” Araqchi said in the interview aired Tuesday. “The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is currently conducting a detailed assessment, which will be reported to the government in due course.”
The strike on Fordow was part of a broader military operation carried out early Sunday, in which U.S. B-2 Spirit stealth bombers hit three nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — using powerful GBU-57A/B bunker-buster bombs. Each bomb weighs 30,000 pounds and is designed to penetrate hardened underground structures.
President Donald Trump declared the mission a success, claiming on his social media platform that the operation had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. However, U.S. officials have noted that it will take time to fully evaluate how much the strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program.
“There is no intelligence, to my knowledge, that suggests anything had been moved or hidden ahead of the attack,” said former Army officer Pete Hegseth during a press briefing watched by President Trump.
Still, experts caution that Iran may have relocated critical elements of its nuclear program — including stockpiles of 60% enriched uranium — in the days leading up to the strikes. Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies showed a flurry of activity at Fordow shortly before the bombing, with a long line of vehicles seen entering the site. An Iranian source later told Reuters that the country’s enriched uranium had likely been moved to an undisclosed location ahead of the airstrikes.
Meanwhile, reports from The Washington Post citing U.S. intelligence sources suggest that intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the extent of the damage, potentially to control domestic or international fallout.
The joint U.S.-Israeli operation has drawn fierce condemnation from Tehran, with Iranian officials accusing both countries of violating the UN Charter and breaching Resolution 2231. Iranian authorities continue to insist that their nuclear program is strictly for peaceful energy purposes.
The fallout from the strike has heightened tensions across the region, raising concerns about escalation amid an already volatile Iran-Israel standoff. As analysts watch closely for Iran’s next move, questions remain about how much of its nuclear infrastructure remains intact — and whether further conflict can be avoided.
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