“All three of those [sites] had most, if not all, the centrifuges damaged or destroyed in a way that it will be almost impossible for them to resurrect that program, in my view and in many other experts' views who have seen the raw data, it will take a period of years,” Witkoff said.
The envoy dismissed media reports claiming Iran’s nuclear facilities were not destroyed as “completely preposterous.”
He also called for accountability for those responsible for leaking damage assessment documents.
"It's treasonous. So, it ought to be investigated. And whoever did it, whoever is responsible for it, should be held accountable. It could hurt lives in the future," said Witkoff.
CNN, citing American intelligence, reported that the strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites did not destroy core components of the program. However, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed the nuclear program was eliminated.
U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities
Overnight into June 22, U.S. President Donald Trump announced air strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran. According to him, the American military attacked facilities in Fordo and Natanz, where uranium enrichment plants are located, as well as in Isfahan, where uranium conversion facilities and centrifuge production are located.
Trump said that the purpose of the U.S. strikes was to "destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities and stop the nuclear threat."
According to CNN, the United States conducted air strikes on Iran from American B-2 bombers. The channel's sources also reported that the United States used GBU-57 guided “bunker-buster” bombs to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. This is the first known case of using such bombs for a military operation.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization has announced its intention to continue its nuclear program despite attacks on its facilities by the United States and Israel. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has threatened that direct U.S. involvement in the fighting could result in "irreparable damage" to Washington. He assures that the Americans "will suffer more serious losses than those in the past."
Satellite images of Iran's Fordo nuclear facility after the U.S. attack have appeared on the Internet, according to which uranium enrichment centrifuges located deep underground are likely to be seriously damaged or destroyed.