Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has admitted that the recent U.S. and Israeli airstrikes caused “excessive and serious” damage to the country’s nuclear facilities, contradicting earlier claims by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Speaking on state television Thursday evening, Araghchi said the extent of the damage was still being assessed by the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran. His statement marked a shift from Khamenei’s earlier position that the strikes “failed to accomplish anything significant.”
Just hours before Araghchi’s remarks, Khamenei had dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the bombings had “totally obliterated” three nuclear sites. He insisted that Iran’s nuclear programme remained on course and accused Trump of exaggeration, even declaring “victory” over the U.S. and Israel.
However, the foreign minister’s comments paint a different picture. He confirmed there are no plans to resume talks with the U.S., which had been frozen since Israel launched its attacks earlier this month.
“I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations,” Araghchi said. “Our diplomacy will take a new form in line with the interest of the Iranian people.”
His remarks come amid reports that the U.S. is considering easing sanctions and releasing \$30 billion in frozen Iranian funds to lure Iran back to the negotiating table. But rising tensions and political shifts in Tehran may make this difficult.
On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament passed a bill to end cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which could block nuclear inspectors from accessing Iranian facilities — a move seen as deepening the standoff.
The U.S. became directly involved in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict last weekend, launching strikes on key nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. While Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the strikes set Iran’s program “back by years,” a leaked Pentagon assessment said the impact may only delay the program by a few months — a claim U.S. officials have denied.
Meanwhile, the human toll continues to rise. Iran’s health ministry says at least 610 people were killed during 12 days of Israeli air raids, while Israel reports 28 fatalities on its side.
Although life in Tehran is slowly returning to normal, residents remain shaken by the scale of destruction and the uncertainty ahead.
