Iran acknowledges its nuclear installations ‘badly damaged’ by US, Israeli attacks

ISTANBUL

Iran acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that its nuclear installations were “badly damaged” by US and Israeli attacks.

“Yes, our nuclear installations have been badly damaged,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told Al Jazeera television in an interview.

“That’s for sure because (they have) come under repeated attacks.”

On June 22, the US dropped six bunker-buster bombs on the Fordo nuclear facility and launched dozens of submarine-based cruise missile attacks on two other sites in Natanz and Isfahan as part of its campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.

Addressing a recent bill passed by the Iranian parliament to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, Baghaei said the bill “talks about suspending, not putting an end to the cooperation.”

“Don’t you think it is only natural for the representatives of a nation that has come under an egregious act of aggression to reconsider the way they have been dealing with the IAEA?”

Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran on June 13, including military and nuclear facilities, alleging that Tehran was on the verge of producing a nuclear bomb, a claim vehemently denied by Iran.

While Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, the US joined the conflict by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites.

After 12 days of aerial combat between the two regional arch-foes, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Monday to end the conflict.