Iranian press evaluates damage from US raids

(MENAFN) Iranian media and officials have downplayed the impact of the recent US airstrikes on the country’s nuclear facilities. According to Fars news agency, citing MP Mohammad Manan Raisi from Qom Province, the Fordow nuclear site sustained only minor, surface-level damage that can be repaired. Raisi contradicted President Donald Trump’s claim that the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan sites were “completely and totally obliterated,” emphasizing that there were no casualties or radiation leaks.

Deputy director of political affairs at Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, Hasan Abedini, said the uranium reserves had been removed from the sites ahead of the attack, leaving no materials that could cause radiation hazards to nearby residents. Similarly, Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi assured that there was no risk of radioactive contamination, as reported by Tasnim news agency.

Reuters also cited a senior Iranian official who stated that most enriched uranium had been relocated to undisclosed locations prior to the strikes. Iran’s Center for the National Nuclear Safety System confirmed that emergency inspections found no radiation leaks or contamination at the targeted facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later echoed these findings, reporting no rise in radiation levels at Fordow, Natanz, or Esfahan.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) condemned the strikes as an illegal attack coordinated with Israel and in violation of international law and the UN Charter. The IRGC warned that the US and Israel would face strong retaliation and claimed to have identified the bases of the attacking aircraft.

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