IAEA Chief: Iran’s Nuclear Program Suffered “Enormous Damage” from U.S. Strikes
VIENNA — International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said Thursday that Iran’s nuclear program has suffered “enormous damage” following coordinated U.S. and Zionist attacks on key nuclear sites earlier this month.
Speaking to French broadcaster RFI, Grossi confirmed that the strikes on June 13 caused “significant physical damage” at Iran’s major nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow — locations central to uranium enrichment and conversion operations. “The damage is extremely significant,” he said, noting that Iran’s ability to sustain previous levels of nuclear activity has been seriously compromised.
Grossi revealed that the centrifuges at Fordow are “no longer operational,” stressing that their delicate mechanisms likely sustained total destruction. “With the power of those weapons and the technical sensitivity of centrifuges, we are certain they were rendered inoperative,” he said.
The IAEA chief also expressed grave concern over Tehran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the agency, insisting that Iran cannot unilaterally end inspections under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). “The agency’s presence in Iran is not an act of generosity—it is a legal and international obligation,” Grossi warned, adding that refusal to allow inspectors will “absolutely” carry consequences.
Still, Grossi remained cautiously hopeful: “I am lucid and reasonable. Dialogue and inspections may resume—it remains possible.”
