Iranian Foreign Minister Admits Fordow Was ‘Seriously And Heavily Damaged’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted to CBS News that the Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow, contrary to media reports based on thin intelligence reports, had indeed been “seriously and heavily damaged.”

“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow,” Araghchi said. “That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged. The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently undertaking evaluation and assessment of the report, of which will be submitted to the government.”

Asked whether Iranian inspectors had been able to access Fordow or whether they still trying to attempt to access it, he answered, “the Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran will have to respond to that question because it is they who are currently doing the evaluation and assessment.”

Araghchi was also asked whether President Trump’s claim was accurate that the Iranian nuclear facilities which the US struck had been “obliterated.”  “It appears they have been heavily and seriously damaged. However, I would like to reiterate that I do not have accurate information regarding the damage. We need to wait until the reports come in to see whether or not they will be able to be relaunched or if they will be relaunched,” he answered.

Despite the fact that Iran had enriched its uranium to a level only appropriate for nuclear weapons rather than peaceful energy purposes, Araghchi insisted that Iran only had a “peaceful nuclear program,” declaring, “Iran has undergone heavy sanctions because of its peaceful nuclear program … Iran’s peaceful nuclear program has turned into a matter of national pride and glory.”

“Iran has pursued uranium, which it is currently enriching up to a level of 60 percent in spinning machines called gas centrifuges,” FDD noted. “Once that level is achieved, Tehran has accomplished 99 percent of the effort to make weapons-grade uranium. … Despite spending hundreds of billions of dollars on enrichment, enriching thousands of kilograms of uranium domestically at three enrichment facilities, and claiming it has an ‘industrial’ enrichment program — one that can fuel nuclear power reactors — Iran has yet to fuel its sole operating nuclear power plant at Bushehr.”

“Our people will not easily back down from enrichment and not put it away.,” Araghchi trumpeted, then claimed that Islamic religious principles forbade Iran developing nuclear weaponry as he said, “According to the fatwa, that is a religious decree by the Supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, nuclear weaponry has no place whatsoever in the security doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”