Operation Midnight Hammer: Tehran confirms nuclear sites suffered ‘severe’ injury; mulls ending IAEA access

File picture: Iranian overseas minister Abbas Araghchi (Picture credit score: AP)

Iran’s overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Thursday publicly admitted that the nation’s nuclear sites sustained “significant and serious damages” in final weekend’s US airstrikes on three services, the primary such official acknowledgement from Tehran. “The losses have not been small, and our facilities have been seriously damaged,” Araghchi stated on Iran’s state tv, confirming the total influence of Operation Midnight Hammer, reported the New York Times.The strikes, launched by US B-2 bombers utilizing bunker-busting bombs, focused Iran’s nuclear services at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Araghchi’s remarks contrasted sharply with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who earlier within the day had dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims of “obliteration” as “exaggerated.”While Khamenei insisted in a prerecorded video that the assaults “were unable to do anything important,” Araghchi painted a much more severe image and likewise warned that Iran could finish its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “Without a doubt, we are obliged to enforce this law,” he stated, referring to a invoice handed by hard-liners and authorised by the Guardian Council that will droop all collaboration with the UN nuclear watchdog.He added, “Our relationship with the agency will take a different shape,” and famous {that a} go to by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi “would not be welcomed” at the moment. Iran has additionally hinted that it could not allow IAEA inspections and can cease submitting monitoring experiences, a transfer that has drawn world concern.Iran’s overseas ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei had earlier admitted the nuclear sites had been “badly damaged.” Israeli army officers and American intelligence have equally assessed that the strikes considerably degraded Iran’s nuclear program, with Brig Gen Effie Defrin stating it has been “set back by years.”US President Trump has defended the strikes, evaluating them to the end-of-World War II atomic bombings in Japan. “I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima or Nagasaki… but that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war. This ended the war,” he stated.However, key questions stay unresolved. Iran has not revealed the destiny of its 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, sufficient for practically 10 nuclear bombs, nor has it confirmed the standing of its superior centrifuges. These particulars might be clarified by IAEA inspectors, ought to Tehran enable access.Analysts, together with Sina Azodi of George Washington University, consider Tehran is utilizing the confusion to its benefit. “Iran wants to keep everything in the dark… to play the diplomatic game of poker,” Azodi was quoted as saying by the New York Times.Despite Araghchi saying “no agreement has yet been reached” to renew talks, the White House has maintained a tone of cautious optimism. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the administration’s dedication to diplomacy, saying, “The president wants peace. He always has… and we’re on a diplomatic path with Iran”.Talks are tentatively anticipated subsequent week, with particular envoy Steve Witkoff persevering with behind-the-scenes negotiations, supported by regional companions like Qatar. However, Araghchi warned, saying, “Going through a war changes many realities… diplomacy must adjust itself to this new reality.”