UN nuclear chief estimates damage to Iran’s facilities ‘very significant’

23-Jun-2025

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The United Nations nuclear chief has estimated that military attacks by Israel and the United States have inflicted considerable damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Rafael Grossi on June 23 told an emergency board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – the UN’s nuclear watchdog – that craters caused by ground-penetrating US bombs were visible at Fordow, the cornerstone of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme.

Israel said as it launched the attacks on Iran on June 13 that Tehran was close to developing a nuclear weapon.

The US made the same claim as it entered the conflict directly on June 21, striking Iran’s three key nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. US President Donald Trump claimed the strikes had “obliterated” the three sites.

Grossi said while “no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow”, it is expected to be “very significant”.

That is because of “the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges”, Grossi added.

The IAEA chief also pointed out that the Natanz and Isfahan facilities were bombed by US warplanes and Tomahawk cruise missiles and damaged as well.