Security

Iranian Official Downplays U.S. Strike on Nuclear Sites, Says 'Science Cannot Be Bombed'

A senior Iranian official downplayed U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, saying Fordow was evacuated and undamaged. He warned, “Our science cannot be bombed.” Meanwhile, Trump hailed the operation as a “historic success,” as tensions with Iran reach open conflict.

Iran's Fordow Uranium Enrichment facility. (Photo: AFP)
Iran's Fordow Uranium Enrichment facility. (Photo: AFP)
Iran U.S. Strikes on Iran Iran's Nuclear Program Iran's Fordow Uranium Enrichment Site

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A senior Iranian official has dismissed the impact of recent U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying the attacks caused no irreparable damage and were anticipated well in advance.

Mehdi Mohammadi, the strategic affairs advisor to the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, wrote on the X platform on Sunday, June 22, 2025: “The strike on the Fordow nuclear facility near Qom was not something alarming. That site had been evacuated some time ago.”

He added pointedly, “We are certain of two things: First, our science and knowledge cannot be bombed; second, this time, the war gamblers will be burned.”

Mohammadi emphasized that Tehran had prepared for such an operation days in advance and that Iranian air defenses had been placed on high alert. This, he claimed, helped mitigate the effects of what U.S. officials said was a limited strike executed by B-2 bombers early Sunday morning.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA supported Mohammadi’s remarks, reporting that the targeted nuclear sites did not contain fissile material. The clarification appeared aimed at reassuring the Iranian public that there was no risk of nuclear contamination or environmental disaster as a result of the strikes.

These remarks follow confirmation from U.S. President Donald J. Trump that the United States had carried out coordinated airstrikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

According to Reuters, the strikes were conducted using B-2 stealth bombers and marked one of the most extensive military operations targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure to date. The New York Times, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that more than 30 tons of bombs were dropped on the underground Fordow site.

In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, President Trump said a “full payload of BOMBS was dropped,” later declaring, “FORDOW IS GONE.” He called the attack a “Historic Moment For The United States Of America, Israel, And The World,” and demanded that “Iran Must Now Agree To End This War.”

Trump later delivered a televised address from the White House, flanked by his national security team. “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” he said. “Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.”

He praised the operation’s coordination with Israel and recognized the role of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan “Raising” Caine. “We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before,” he stated, while warning Iran of further consequences: “There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.”

In response, Iranian officials confirmed that the Fordow nuclear facility in Qom Province was indeed hit. Morteza Heidari, spokesperson for the Qom Province Crisis Management Center, stated that air defense systems were activated in response to aerial threats but several parts of the facility were still bombed.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a brief but stark statement: “Now the war has begun for us,” signaling what Tehran views as full-scale engagement in a conflict with both Israel and the United States.

The bombing of Fordow follows a wave of Israeli airstrikes on southwestern and central Iran, part of what Israeli officials have described as a campaign to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The Fordow site, heavily fortified and symbolically significant, represents a critical node in Iran’s enrichment program.

While casualty figures and the full extent of the damage remain undisclosed, the strikes mark a major escalation in the regional conflict and highlight the volatility of the strategic landscape across the Middle East.

 
Dr. Kamaran Aziz ,
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