In a July 22 interview with Fox News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that the US airstrikes using bunker-buster bombs and missiles in June caused significant damage to three key Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

"The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is assessing the damage, but from what I know, the facilities were severely damaged", Araghchi said, adding that the damage has brought all of Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities to a standstill.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey on 22/6. Photo: AFP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey on 22/6. Photo: AFP

However, he did not specify whether Iran's uranium enrichment equipment was heavily damaged after the airstrikes. The US previously claimed that Operation "Night Hammer" had "wiped out" Iran's nuclear facilities and set back its nuclear program by years.

"It is true that the uranium enrichment process has been halted because the damage is very serious. But we are clearly not giving up on this work. It is an achievement of Iranian scientists, and now more than ever, it is a matter of national pride", Araghchi declared.

He also said that Iran is capable of rebuilding the nuclear facilities and affirmed that it will not stop enriching uranium.

In the early morning of June 22, the US Air Force deployed a squadron of seven B-2 stealth bombers to drop 14 GBU-57 bombs on targets in Iran. Twelve of these targeted the Fordow uranium enrichment plant, dubbed Iran's "nuclear fortress", while the other two hit an underground facility at the Natanz nuclear site.

Close-up of a bomb crater at the Fordow nuclear facility after the US airstrike. Photo: Maxar

Close-up of a bomb crater at the Fordow nuclear facility after the US airstrike. Photo: Maxar

Satellite images taken after the airstrikes show bomb craters at the Fordow and Natanz complexes, but the extent of the damage and whether the GBU-57 bombs were effective remains unclear.

Last week, US media cited a recent intelligence assessment indicating that the Fordow nuclear facility had been destroyed by US bombs, while the Natanz and Isfahan facilities were still capable of continuing uranium enrichment.

Ngoc Anh (Hill, Fox News, AP)