The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has confirmed that Iran’s nuclear program sustained “enormous damage” following a recent U.S. airstrike ordered by former President Donald Trump, though he stopped short of calling it total destruction.

Speaking to French broadcaster RFI, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the strikes inflicted “very considerable” physical damage on key Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan2. “I think ‘annihilated’ is too much, but it has suffered enormous damage,” Grossi stated, adding that the facilities are no longer operational and remain inaccessible due to debris and structural collapse.

The U.S. administration has claimed the strikes set Iran’s nuclear capabilities back by decades, while a leaked preliminary intelligence report suggested a more modest setback of several months. Grossi emphasized that while Iran’s ability to enrich uranium has been significantly impaired, the full extent of the damage requires on-site verification, which has not yet been possible due to ongoing tensions.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplayed the impact, asserting that the attacks “did nothing significant,” though Iran’s own foreign ministry later acknowledged that the installations were “badly damaged”1.

The IAEA has requested renewed access to the affected sites to conduct a full assessment, but Grossi noted that political tensions have complicated cooperation. “There are political voices in Iran who believe that the agency has not been impartial,” he said.

The incident has reignited global debate over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the future of international oversight. While the U.S. and Israel maintain that the strikes were necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Tehran insists its program is strictly for civilian purposes.