Ismail Baghaei, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated on Wednesday that the U.S. airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities last Sunday caused 'serious damage.' He admitted that the nuclear facilities were indeed severely impacted, marking the first time Iranian officials have explicitly acknowledged damage to these sites, indicating that U.S. military actions have had a tangible effect on Iran's nuclear program.

In contrast, U.S. officials, including President Trump, have countered these claims, asserting that Iran is now 'further away from obtaining nuclear weapons.' According to Al Jazeera, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made comments at a NATO summit stating that Iran is currently 'farther away than before' from producing nuclear weapons and emphasized that various components have sustained 'significant and very substantial damage.'

In response to reports suggesting the airstrikes would only delay Iran’s nuclear program by a few months, Rubio firmly rejected those claims as 'false' and said they did not represent the full picture. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also issued a statement declaring those assessments to be 'completely wrong,' emphasizing that Iran’s nuclear facilities have been 'thoroughly destroyed.'

This raid on three key nuclear sites in Tehran is viewed as a significant counteraction by the U.S. against the Iranian nuclear threat, drawing heightened attention from the international community. U.S. intelligence agencies are reportedly still assessing the situation, but high-ranking U.S. officials seem unwilling to underestimate the strategic impact of this attack. The Iranian government has yet to disclose specific damage details or announce any plans for retaliation, but analysts believe that tensions between Iran and the U.S. regarding nuclear issues may escalate further, bringing more unpredictability to the situation in the Middle East.