Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, officially admitted that the U.S. military strikes heavily damaged three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to The New York Times. The nuclear sites suffered “significant and serious damages,” Araghchi said in an interview with Iranian state television.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization is still “surveilling the damages and losses,” Araghchi said. “I have to say, the losses have not been small, and our facilities have been seriously damaged.”
This marks the first time a high-ranking Iranian official has acknowledged the full extent of the attack.
Khamenei claims ‘victory’
Earlier this week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared on video for the first time since U.S. airstrikes hit Iranian nuclear sites, claiming “victory” over Israel and the United States.
President Donald Trump has claimed “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear program, which Khamenei denied.
“The American regime entered into a direct war because it felt that if it did not enter, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. But it did not gain anything from this war,” Khamenei said.
US briefing sparks political division
The White House has faced growing scrutiny amid questions about whether U.S. strikes truly crippled Iran’s nuclear program, as Trump claimed. Senators received a classified briefing on the operation; while Republicans assert the damage was significant and long-lasting, many Democrats remain unconvinced.
This follows a leaked intelligence report earlier this week that suggested the strikes may have only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months. The Trump administration strongly disputes that assessment, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe declaring that Iran’s nuclear sites were “destroyed.”
Still, some Democrats left the briefing unconvinced, calling the president’s claim of total obliteration misleading and criticizing the lack of a clearly defined endgame.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D–Conn., said he does not believe Trump is telling the truth about the obliteration of Iran’s nuclear program.
“Listen, to me it still appears that we have only set back the Iranian nuclear program by a handful of months,” Murphy said. “There’s no doubt there was damage done to the program, but the allegations that we have obliterated their program just don’t seem to stand up to reason.”
Trump blames democrats for leak
Trump has responded by blaming Democrats for the leak and stating on social media that they “should be prosecuted.”
The FBI opened an investigation into how the classified report was released, and the White House is reportedly considering new limits on intelligence sharing with Congress.
Pentagon defends operation
In a fiery press conference Thursday, June 26, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth chastised the media for “cheering against Trump” and “undermining the military’s success.”
“There are so many aspects of what our brave men and women did that, because of the hatred of this press corps, are undermined because people are trying to leak and spin that it wasn’t successful,” Hegseth said. “It’s irresponsible.”
The Pentagon also revealed new details about the strikes, including that they were 15 years in the making, that bombs were dropped into ventilation shafts and that a small team of U.S. troops was left behind in Qatar to brace for possible retaliation.
Diplomatic talks in question
Meanwhile, Trump and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff have both claimed talks between the U.S. and Iran would resume soon. However, Araghchi said Thursday, June 26, no plans have been confirmed, according to The Times.
“Going through a war changes many realities,” Araghchi said. “The situation before and after the war is very different, and diplomacy must adjust itself to this new reality.”
