Foreign minister admits serious damage to sites

The Iranian Foreign Minister admitted that “excessive and serious” damage had been caused to the country’s nuclear sites in the recent American and Israeli bombings.

Abbas Araghchi told a state broadcaster Thursday evening, an assessment of damage is carried out by the organization of atomic energy of Iran.

But, a few hours earlier, the supreme chief of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that strikes had not disrupted the country’s nuclear program. Khamenei responded to the assertion of US President Donald Trump that the bombs had “completely erased” three nuclear sites.

Khamenei said that American attacks had not “accomplished something important”.

The supreme leader, who has been hiding since the war with Israel on June 13, insisted that Trump had “exaggerated” the impact of bombs and declared victory in the United States and Israel.

But Araghchi’s remarks create a different impression.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs also said that he was not planned to resume nuclear talks with the United States. Iran has canceled a sixth round of talks planned when Israel began its attacks.

“I would like to say clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations,” he said.

He added that the government examined what was in “the interest of the Iranian people”, saying that his approach to diplomacy would take a “new form”.

He didn’t explain what he meant.

In an attempt to bring Iran back to the negotiating table, the Trump administration discussed the possibility of helping Iran to access $ 30 billion to build a nuclear program producing civil energy, soften sanctions and release billions of listed Iranian funds, CNN reported.

But developments in Iran could lead to such a decision.

On Wednesday, the Iranian Parliament approved a bill to stop cooperation with the global nuclear guard dog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). If it is implemented, this would mean that Iran is no longer committed to allowing nuclear inspectors to embark on its sites.

Israel said her offensive against Iran was necessary to thwart what she claims to be Iranian plans to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran has always insisted that its nuclear program is only intended for civil ends.

The United States was directly involved in the conflict last weekend, hitting installations in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, before Trump quickly tried to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

The US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the intelligence gathered by the United States and that Israel indicated that strikes “have considerably damaged the nuclear program, fixing it in the years.”

A preliminary evaluation of the pentagon disclosed Minimized the importance of damage and said that the American strikes only withdraw the Iranian nuclear program for a few months. The leak was rejected by the administration.

The Iranian Ministry of Health said that 610 people had been killed during the 12 days of Israeli air strikes, while the Israeli authorities said 28 had been killed in Israel.