The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has confirmed that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment sites are no longer operational following a coordinated U.S. airstrike campaign. This directly contradicts early media claims that downplayed the mission’s effectiveness.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi said in an interview Thursday that the attacks carried out on June 13 caused “very significant physical damage” at three of Iran’s most critical nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
“The Fordow facility is no longer operational,” Grossi told Radio France International. While he described words like “destroyed” or “annihilated” as potentially excessive, he emphasized, “It has suffered enormous damage.”
Grossi added that although IAEA inspectors have not been able to access the sites yet due to debris and political tensions, the agency has drawn conclusions from satellite imagery and past knowledge of the plants’ layouts. “We know these facilities inside out,” he said, adding that the impact on Iran’s centrifuges was likely devastating.
“Given the power of these [U.S.] devices and the technical characteristics of a centrifuge, these centrifuges are no longer operational because they are quite precise machines,” Grossi explained. “So technically, I’d say we can reach a fairly accurate conclusion.”
President Donald Trump has said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities and claimed the regime’s weapons ambitions had been set back “by decades.” Israeli intelligence largely agrees with this assessment.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described Fordow as “inoperable” and estimated the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes had delayed Iran’s nuclear weapons program “by many years.”
However, some early U.S. media reports, citing preliminary and low-confidence assessments, attempted to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the operation. These narratives have now been contradicted by the IAEA’s own leadership and satellite evidence of damage.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a brief recorded message Thursday, claimed the attacks “could not achieve anything significant,” but has not provided evidence or allowed independent inspections.
Meanwhile, Tehran has yet to respond to Grossi’s formal request for renewed access and clarity on the status of enriched uranium stockpiles, a requirement under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to which Iran remains a signatory.
Grossi warned that a continued refusal by Iran to cooperate could bring the world “on the brink of a new crisis.” He also confirmed that while Iran had the technical capability to produce “perhaps a dozen” nuclear warheads, the IAEA currently has no evidence that Tehran has taken the final step toward actual weaponization.
Despite growing political tensions and Iranian accusations that the IAEA is no longer impartial, Grossi insisted the agency does not evaluate intentions, only on-the-ground conditions. “We do not judge intentions, we analyze and evaluate what we see on the ground,” he said.
The June 13 strikes, carried out by U.S. B-2 stealth bombers using deep-penetrating ordnance, marked a significant escalation in efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and reassert global non-proliferation norms.
The Fordow site, previously thought to be heavily protected due to its underground location and massive fortification, was described by Grossi as resembling a Hollywood movie set in its theatrical scale, but ultimately not durable enough to withstand advanced American firepower.
Grossi’s assessment, now backed by Israeli intelligence and Defense Department analysis, puts to rest widespread speculation and media claims that the strikes were symbolic or ineffective.
The U.S. and its allies are now waiting to see whether Iran will re-engage with international inspections or escalate further. For now, the nuclear threat appears to have taken a major blow.