Iran says nuclear program will continue despite U.S. and Israeli strikes

In a statement, the agency said sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were targeted in a “barbaric attack by Iran’s enemies” early that morning.

Tehran labeled the strikes a violation of international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of complicity.

“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assures the nation that, despite the malicious conspiracies of its enemies, it will not allow the development of this national industry—built on the blood of our nuclear scientists—to be halted,” the statement said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that direct U.S. involvement in the conflict could result in “irreparable damage” for Washington. He predicted that the U.S. would suffer “greater losses than in the past.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi called the U.S. strike a “violation of international law with eternal consequences,” according to The Guardian.

“The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a serious breach of the UN Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities,” Araghchi said, warning of “long-term consequences.”

An Iranian MP representing Qom, located near the Fordow nuclear site, said damage to the facility was “limited to surface structures and can be repaired,” The Times of Israel reported.

In the early hours of June 22 (Kyiv time), U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces had launched airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow and Natanz, both home to uranium enrichment plants, and Isfahan, which houses uranium conversion and centrifuge production sites.

“We completed our very successful strike on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the main site, Fordow. Congratulations to our great American warriors. No other military in the world could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”

According to CNN, the strikes were carried out using U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers equipped with GBU-57 guided bunker-buster bombs. Weighing over 13.6 tons, these bombs are designed to penetrate fortified underground targets and are the largest non-nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal. This marks the first known use of GBU-57s in a combat operation.

Later, CNN reported that Trump hopes the strikes will compel Tehran to return to the negotiating table. He is not planning additional military action for now and has urged Iranian leadership to “agree to end this war.”