Iran shuts door on nuclear talks after US strikes, calls damage overstated

TEHRAN: Iran has rejected reports that it plans to restart nuclear talks with the United States and accused Washington of exaggerating the impact of US strikes. 

The country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called the claims baseless and said no talks, agreements, or arrangements had been made.

The most serious conflict yet between Israel and Iran disrupted nuclear talks between the two countries. However, President Donald Trump said Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff expressing hope "for a comprehensive peace agreement".

But Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed what he described as "speculation" that Tehran was ready to return to the table, saying it "should not be taken seriously".

"I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations," he said on state television. "No plan has been set yet to start negotiations."

Araghchi’s denial came as Iranian lawmakers passed a "binding" bill suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, and after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Trump of exaggerating the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

In a televised speech — his first appearance since a ceasefire in the war with Israel — Khamenei hailed what he called Iran’s "victory" over Israel, vowed never to bow to US pressure, and insisted Washington had been dealt a humiliating "slap".

"The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration," Khamenei said, rejecting US claims that Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back by decades.

The strikes, he insisted, had done "nothing significant" to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Araghchi, however, described the damage as "serious" and said a detailed assessment was underway.

Trump claimed key facilities, including the underground Fordo uranium enrichment site, had been "obliterated" by American B-2 bombers.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, he dismissed speculation that Iran might have removed enriched uranium before the raid, stating: "Nothing was taken out... too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!"

He added that satellite images showing trucks at the site only indicated that Iranian crews were trying to shield the facility with concrete.

Khamenei rejected such claims, stating, "The Islamic Republic won, and in retaliation dealt a severe slap to the face of America."

Both sides have declared victory: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a "historic win", while Khamenei said Iran’s missile retaliation had brought Israel to the brink of collapse.

US defence

In Washington, the true impact of the strikes has triggered sharp political and intelligence debates.

A leaked classified assessment suggested that damage to Iran’s nuclear programme may be less severe than initially claimed, possibly delaying progress by only a few months.

That contrasts with statements from senior US officials.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said several facilities would need to be "rebuilt over the course of years".

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth accused the media of misrepresenting the operation.

He said the United States used massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs on Fordo and another underground site, while submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles targeted a third facility.

"President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating — choose your word — obliterating, destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities," Hegseth said.

Doubts remain about whether Iran quietly removed some 400 kilogrammes (880 pounds) of enriched uranium from its most sensitive sites before the strikes, potentially hiding nuclear material elsewhere in the country.

Netanyahu says Iran ‘thwarted’

Following waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites and retaliatory missile fire from Iran since mid-June — the deadliest exchange between the two countries to date — the US bombed three key Iranian atomic facilities.

Initial intelligence reports, first revealed by CNN, indicated the strikes did not destroy critical components and delayed Iran’s nuclear programme only by months.

Experts questioned whether Iran had pre-emptively moved enriched uranium to protect it. The US administration has strongly denied such suggestions.

The Israeli military said Iran’s nuclear sites had taken a "significant" blow but cautioned it was "still early" to assess the full extent of the damage.

Netanyahu said Israel had "thwarted Iran’s nuclear project", warning that any attempt by Iran to rebuild it would be met with the same resolve and intensity.

Iran has consistently denied seeking a nuclear weapon and has defended its "legitimate rights" to the peaceful use of atomic energy.

It has also said it is willing to return to nuclear negotiations with Washington.

The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, according to Iran’s health ministry.

Iran’s attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures.