Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is under the rubble of the attacked nuclear sites and it has now become inaccessible, according to a report from AFP.
“All of our material is under the rubble of the bombed facilities," said Araghchi during a television interview, while adding that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was currently examining the sites.
Israel’s attacks on Iranian facilities during Operation Rising Lion aimed at the centers in Natanz and Isfahan, while an additional attack by the United States using B2 stealth bombers reportedly damaged the Fordow center.
The comments by Araghchi represent the first ones made by any Iranian official on the uranium situation, although they also come as the regime is currently negotiating with the IAEA to reinstate nuclear inspections.
Iran, IAEA give mixed message about nuclear inspections
The latest announcement from Iran and the IAEA confirmed that an agreement had been reached between the two parties. However, both parties provided conflicting reports about the state of inspections and who would be responsible for conducting them.
First, it was IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi who presented the deal to the IAEA Board of Governors as an agreement that had restored "complete" access for the IAEA to all nuclear sites within the Islamic Republic.
The IAEA's Grossi said in a statement on Wednesday that the "technical document" agreed provided for "a clear understanding of the procedures for inspection, notifications, and implementation..."
"These include all facilities and installations in Iran and also contemplate the required reporting on all the attacked facilities, including the nuclear material present at those."
However, soon after Grossi gave his optimistic statements, Araghchi demurred, saying that the deal does not guarantee the UN nuclear inspectors' access to Iranian nuclear sites and that Tehran wants further talks on how inspections are carried out.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.