What did Iran say about nuclear damage and radiation after US strikes?

Iranian nuclear programme is strategic insurance policy

A map of Iran shows the damage caused by the US aerial attack

As the US, Israel and much of the world assess the effect of the American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Tehran has offered only limited details.

There is good reason for that as Iran’s nuclear programme is not merely a scientific endeavour, it is a strategic insurance policy.

The regime has spent decades building it. If it crumbled overnight, Iran would lose one of its most powerful bargaining chips in any negotiation with the West.

Bombing raid that shattered Iran's nuclear dreams

Read More

So, what exactly has Iran said?

Nuclear contamination

Iran’s Nuclear Safety System Centre was quick to issue a statement claiming “no nuclear contamination” had been detected at or around the sites targeted by US strikes.

“Following the criminal attack by the US on the nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, Iran’s Nuclear Safety System Centre immediately conducted the necessary investigations,” the statement read.

“Based on the safety measures and planning, as well as data recorded by radiation detection systems, no signs of contamination have been detected. Therefore, there is no threat to residents living near the mentioned nuclear sites.”

Fordow takes a hit

Iranian officials claimed most of the uranium previously stored at the Fordow enrichment plant had been moved to an undisclosed location before the strikes took place.

An Iranian source told state media: “The exact location of the relocated uranium is not specified.”

Satellite images, however, suggest serious damage to Fordow’s entrance, evidence of what appears to be a direct hit from several 15,000kg US bunker-busting bombs.

A satellite image over Fordow, after the US struck the underground nuclear plant, near Qom. Reuters

While Iranian state media acknowledged the site “was attacked by the enemy”, it stopped short of revealing the extent of the internal damage.

Fordow was more than a plant; it was Iran’s nuclear vault, a heavily fortified centre buried deep within a mountain. Its symbolic and strategic value far exceeded its physical contents. Its fate now remains uncertain.

There has been no official word from Tehran about the level of damage to other key sites, such as Natanz and Isfahan. Notably, the nuclear reactor in Bushehr, closer to the Gulf and heavily watched by nearby countries, was not struck.

What about the nuclear stockpile?

Iran has amassed significant quantities of enriched uranium and operates thousands of centrifuges.

While Tehran claims much of the uranium was safely relocated, there is no clear information on the current condition or location of the remaining material.

It is worth mentioning that neither Iran nor the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported any radiation leaks.

Trump says US strikes 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities

01:07

IAEA weighs in

The IAEA, which monitors Iran’s nuclear activities, said the latest strikes on the Isfahan complex damaged six buildings, in addition to four previously hit.

However, it added that facilities targeted either contained no nuclear material or small quantities of natural or low-enriched uranium, suggesting any contamination would have been limited to the damaged structures.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced that the agency’s board of governors will convene for an emergency session on Monday.