Iran Says American Strikes Complicate Nuclear Negotiations/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Iran’s foreign minister admitted significant damage from recent U.S. airstrikes on nuclear sites, warning the attacks have complicated any prospects for new nuclear negotiations. Despite U.S. overtures for renewed talks, Iran remains noncommittal about resuming discussions. Meanwhile, the region reels from deadly Israeli and American military strikes and mounting tensions.
Iran-US Tensions + Quick Looks
- Talks stalled: Iran’s top diplomat says US strikes complicate diplomacy.
- Severe damage confirmed: Fordo facility heavily hit; centrifuges reportedly disabled.
- Khamenei calls war a victory: Iran frames conflict as triumph despite casualties.
- Executions spark fear: Iran carries out hangings over alleged Israel espionage.
- IAEA awaits access: Inspectors still barred from assessing nuclear site damage.
Iran Says American Strikes Complicate Nuclear Negotiations
Deep Look
IRAN HESITANT ON NEW TALKS AFTER U.S. STRIKES
Iran’s foreign minister has cast doubt on the prospects of new nuclear negotiations with Washington, blaming the recent U.S. airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities for making talks significantly more difficult.
Speaking on Iranian state television Thursday night, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged “serious damage” inflicted by the American attacks but left the door open—albeit narrowly—to future dialogue.
“No agreement has been made for resuming the negotiations,” Araghchi said. “No time has been set, no promise has been made, and we haven’t even talked about restarting the talks.”
He added bluntly that the American military intervention “made it more complicated and more difficult” to return to the negotiating table.
TRUMP STILL PUSHING FOR TALKS
The impasse comes even as President Donald Trump has publicly suggested that new negotiations with Iran might take place soon. Trump has declared interest in hammering out another deal, despite withdrawing the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear agreement during his first term—a pact that had traded limits on Iran’s nuclear program for relief from economic sanctions.
IRANIAN LEADERS PROJECT STRENGTH AMID LOSSES
Meanwhile, Iran’s leaders are working to project confidence following the devastating Israeli and American strikes. During Friday prayers, clerics repeated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s claims that the recent conflict was ultimately a victory for Iran.
In Tehran, senior cleric Hamzeh Khalili, who also serves as deputy chief justice, warned that Iran’s courts would prosecute individuals accused of spying for Israel “in a special way.”
The warning follows reports that Iran has executed several detainees during the war on espionage charges and arrested dozens more across multiple cities for alleged cooperation with Israel.
DEADLY TOLL FROM 12-DAY CONFLICT
The recent conflict erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a fierce barrage of strikes against Iran, targeting nuclear sites, defense systems, top military officers, and nuclear scientists. According to Israeli military claims, their forces killed approximately 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, struck eight nuclear facilities, and hit over 720 military targets.
The human cost has been staggering: over 1,000 fatalities, including at least 417 civilians, per estimates from the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.
Iran retaliated with more than 550 ballistic missiles, many intercepted, but those that penetrated Israel’s defenses caused damage and killed 28 people.
U.S. STRIKES DEEP UNDERGROUND TARGETS
Following Israel’s assault, the U.S. launched its own attacks last Sunday, deploying B-2 stealth bombers to drop bunker-buster bombs and cruise missiles against three of Iran’s most fortified nuclear sites.
Iran fired missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar in retaliation on Monday, though no casualties were reported.
President Trump insisted the American strikes “completely and fully obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.
However, Khamenei dismissed Trump’s claim, asserting the strikes failed to “achieve anything significant.”
NUCLEAR DAMAGE CONFIRMED BY IAEA
While Iran’s officials have suggested they might have moved stockpiles of highly enriched uranium before the strikes, significant infrastructure damage is confirmed.
Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told Radio France International that the U.S. attacks on the Fordo nuclear site inflicted “very, very, very considerable” damage.
“Centrifuges are quite precise machines,” Grossi explained, adding it’s “not possible” that multiple 30,000-pound bombs detonating nearby would fail to cause “important physical damage.” He concluded: “These centrifuges are no longer operational.”
Araghchi himself conceded the severity of the attacks: “The level of damage is high, and it’s serious damage.”
Yet Iran has so far refused to grant IAEA inspectors access to evaluate the nuclear facilities in person. “They would be kept out for the time being,” Araghchi said, leaving the international community waiting for a clearer picture of the strikes’ true impact.
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