Iranian Foreign Minister Admits: "Heavy Damage Inflicted on Fordow Nuclear Facility"

In an interview with CBS News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted for the first time that the Fordow nuclear facility suffered “serious and significant” damage.

Speaking on American television Tuesday night, Araghchi stated: "No one knows for certain what exactly happened at Fordow. However, based on what we know so far, the facilities sustained serious and severe damage."

Araghchi noted that the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization is currently conducting an assessment of the damage, and a final report will be submitted to the Iranian government for further decision-making. This marks the first direct public acknowledgment by a senior Iranian official of an attack on the country's nuclear infrastructure.

The Fordow underground facility in Iran’s Qom Province is widely regarded as the country’s most strategic nuclear site, where uranium was enriched to 60%, just a technical step away from weapons-grade.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported earlier this week that, according to classified American intelligence, intercepted internal communications among senior Iranian officials indicate efforts by Tehran to downplay the severity of the damage, both to domestic audiences and on the international