Iran downplays impact of U.S. airstrikes on nuclear facilities

 Iranian officials have downplayed the extent of damage following U.S. airstrikes targeting several nuclear installations, including the heavily fortified Fordow facility.

Authorities in Iran insist the Fordow site—located near the city of Qom—sustained only minimal surface-level damage.

Manan Raeisi, a member of Iran’s parliament representing Qom, said on Sunday that reports suggesting substantial damage were misleading.

“Based on precise information, I am able to state that contrary to the claims of the lying president of the United States, the Fordow nuclear installation has not been seriously damaged,” Raeisi said, speaking to the state-affiliated Fars news agency.

“Most of the affected areas were above ground and can be fully restored.”

No injuries or fatalities were reported at the Fordow facility, Raeisi added.

A Fars journalist who was reportedly near the location described hearing multiple explosions and witnessing the activation of Iranian air defenses in the early hours of Sunday. A brief fire was also observed but was swiftly extinguished, the report said.

Meanwhile, Iran’s state-owned Press TV stated—without offering visual or independent verification—that the damage was limited to entrance and exit tunnels, leaving the main structure of the facility untouched.

The Fordow site was among several nuclear locations hit during a wave of U.S.-led precision strikes. Other targets included the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear complexes, according to Iranian and international reports.

Raeisi condemned the strikes as a clear act of aggression by Washington.

“This is a direct entry of the United States into this war,” he said, warning that Tehran would determine the appropriate response to what he labeled “a brazen act of foolishness.”