Sen. Tom Cotton during a news conference following Senate Republican policy luncheons at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 3. Eric Lee/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Republican senators, after receiving a classified briefing today, expressed confidence in the US strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend amid conflicting reports about the ultimate extent of damage done to Tehran’s nuclear program.

Earlier today, the Pentagon released some new details about how the US prepared for its strikes on Iranian nuclear targets but offered no new evidence of their effectiveness against Iran’s nuclear program.

Here’s what some GOP lawmakers said after the all-Senate briefing:

• Sen. Tom Cotton: “We have effectively destroyed Iran’s nuclear program,” he said, adding it is going to make the US safer. Cotton condemned what he called the “selective and unlawful leaking of a report” that showed an early US intelligence assessment found the strikes did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months. Cotton insisted that, while Iran could “reconstitute” its nuclear program “at some time,” the US strikes had “caused catastrophic damage.”

• Sen. Lindsey Graham: He echoed Cotton’s bullish assessment of the strikes, though Graham cautioned: “Isn’t the real question, ‘Have we obliterated their desire to have a nuclear weapon?’” He added, “Here’s where we’re at: the program was obliterated at those three sites. But they still have ambitions. I don’t know where the 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium exists. But it wasn’t part of the targets there.” Graham said he’s “looking to change (Iran’s) behavior.”

• Sen. John Kennedy: He echoed a similar assessment of the US strikes on Iranian targets, and said that if Tehran tried to rebuild, “Israel would know.” The senator also praised the briefing as “one of the best I’ve ever attended.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that damage to Iran’s nuclear sites from the 12-day war with Israel was “serious”, as the country begins assessing the conflict’s impact.

“A detailed assessment of the damage is being carried out by experts from the Atomic Energy Organization (of Iran),” he told state television.

“Now, the discussion of demanding damages and the necessity of providing them has been placed as one of the important issues on the country’s diplomatic agenda,” he added.

“These damages are serious, and expert studies and political decision-making are underway at the same time.”

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that air strikes that the United States launched against Iran’s nuclear sites in support of ally Israel “obliterated” the facilities.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Days after the ceasefire, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Thursday (June 26) that the damage to the country’s nuclear facilities is ‘serious’. This comes as the Islamic Republic of Iran has begun assessing the extent of damage and its impact on the nuclear programme.

In an interview with the state TV, Araghchi said, “A detailed assessment of the damage is being carried out by experts from the International Atomic Energy Organisation.” He also said that it’s high on the government’s agenda to discuss the damages.

He continued, “We should definitely examine the inspectors and see if they comply with the law of the parliament. We need to think about it. But it is clear that when they want to inspect the facilities that have been destroyed, they want to know how much damage there is.”

“Of course, I must say that the damage is excessive and serious. But for the inspectors to be informed exactly, this is a decision that must be made, and in accordance with the law of the parliament. In my opinion, the Supreme National Security Council should make this decision,” he added.

The ‘12-day war’ came to end after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. This came on June 23, a day after America struck Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities in Iran and hours after Iran struck a US base, al-Udeid in Qatar in retaliation to the strikes conducted on its nuclear sites by the former using B-2 bombers.After which Trump also suggested a regime change for Iran and days later he also took a U-turn and changed his stance.

A man taking a photo of a residential building in Tehran that was hit by an Israeli missile, with the damaged part covered by a large Iranian flag, on June 25. PHOTO: AFP

Iran says no plan for new US nuclear talks, plays down impact of strikes

DUBAI – Iran on June 26 denied it is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States after the end of a 12-day war with Israel, and accused Washington of exaggerating the impact of US strikes.

The most serious conflict yet between Israel and Iran derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, yet President Donald Trump said Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff expressing hope “for a comprehensive peace agreement”.

But Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shut down what he said was “speculation” that Tehran would come to the table and said it “should not be taken seriously”.

“I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations,” he said on state television.

“No plan has been set yet to start negotiations.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran is assessing whether talks with the US are in its interest. PHOTO: REUTERS

Mr Araghchi’s denial came as Iranian lawmakers passed a “binding” Bill suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog and after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Mr Trump of exaggerating the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

In a televised speech – his first appearance since a ceasefire in the war with Israel – Ayatollah Khamenei hailed what he described as Iran’s “victory” over Israel, vowed never to yield to US pressure and insisted Washington had been dealt a humiliating “slap”.

“The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, rejecting US claims Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back by decades.

The strikes, he insisted, had done “nothing significant” to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Mr Araghchi, for his part, called the damage “serious” and said a detailed assessment was under way.

Mr Trump said key facilities, including the underground Fordow uranium enrichment site, had been “obliterated” by American B-2 bombers.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, he dismissed speculation Iran might have removed enriched uranium prior to the raid, saying: “Nothing was taken out… too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!”

He added that satellite images showed trucks at the site only because Iranian crews were attempting to shield the facility with concrete.

Ayatollah Khamenei dismissed such claims, saying “the Islamic republic won, and in retaliation dealt a severe slap to the face of America”.

Both sides have claimed victory: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “historic win”, while Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran’s missile retaliation had brought Israel to the brink of collapse.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made his first appearance since a ceasefire in the war with Israel, with a televised address. PHOTO: AFP

US defence

In Washington, the true impact of the strikes has sparked sharp political and intelligence debates.

A leaked classified assessment suggested the damage to Iran’s nuclear programme may be less severe than initially claimed – possibly delaying progress by only a few months.

That contrasts with statements from senior US officials.

CIA director John Ratcliffe said several facilities would need to be “rebuilt over the course of years”.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth accused the media of misrepresenting the operation.

He said the United States used massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs on Fordow and another underground site, while submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles targeted a third facility.

“President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating – choose your word – obliterating, destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” Mr Hegseth said.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 26. PHOTO: AFP

Doubts remain about whether Iran quietly removed some 400 kilogrammes of enriched uranium from its most sensitive sites before the strikes – potentially hiding nuclear material elsewhere in the country.

Netanyahu says Iran ‘thwarted’

Following waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites and retaliatory missile fire from Iran since mid-June – the deadliest between the two countries to date – the US bombed three key Iranian atomic facilities.

Initial intelligence reports, first revealed by CNN, suggested the strikes did not destroy critical components and delayed Iran’s nuclear programme only by months.

Experts questioned if Iran had pre-emptively moved enriched uranium to protect it. The US administration has forcefully rejected such suggestions.

The Israeli military said Iran’s nuclear sites had taken a “significant” blow, but cautioned it was “still early” to fully assess the damage.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel had “thwarted Iran’s nuclear project”, warning any attempt by Iran to rebuild it would be met with the same determination and intensity.

Iran has consistently denied seeking a nuclear weapon while defending its “legitimate rights” to the peaceful use of atomic energy.

It has also said it is willing to return to nuclear negotiations with Washington.

The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran’s health ministry said.

Iran’s attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures. AFP

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