After the White House took the unusual step of sharing a statement from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC), Israel released the commission’s statement concerning damage to Iran’s Fordow nuclear site. This followed different reports on the damage caused by the US strikes.
The IAEC stated that the US strikes on Fordow destroyed critical infrastructure, making the enrichment facility inoperable. The IAEC assessed that US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program have set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.
An Israel Defence Forces spokesperson said that the assessment was that the nuclear program was significantly damaged. The U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Fordow, a uranium enrichment site, was heavily fortified. The U.S. used ‘bunker buster’ bombs to destroy the facility, and only the U.S. has planes capable of carrying these bombs.
President Trump insisted that Fordow was destroyed. Israeli officials denied having agents on the ground in Fordow. Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on June 13. According to Israeli defense officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with enough material for up to 15 weapons.
The strikes marked a dramatic escalation, part of a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. During 12 days of fighting, Iranian missile strikes killed 28 Israelis and injured over 3,000.