Iran made a surprising statement: according to them, all three nuclear facilities were fully evacuated prior to the start of the American airstrikes
It is known that these facilities — Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan — were targeted by the U.S., which launched a missile strike against them early in the morning, around 2:30 a.m. Iran time, carried out by the U.S. Air Force. However, the Iranian authorities claim that, although bombs were dropped, all critical materials and technical equipment had already been removed, and the country avoided destruction and significant losses. According to Hassan Abedini, Deputy Political Director of Iran’s state television, the Iranian government acted in advance by evacuating key elements of the nuclear infrastructure before Washington initiated the military operation. This allowed Iran to avoid extensive damage and minimized potential consequences for its nuclear energy and research programs. “We had long decided on evacuation, and all critical materials were moved out before the strikes. This enables us to speak of minimal losses on our part,” Abedini emphasized, without providing specific details about the nature and the number of evacuated facilities and materials. It is noted that Iranian officials did not specify the time frame during which the evacuation took place but acknowledged that the process lasted quite some time and was carefully planned. At the same time, Tehran emphasizes that their nuclear programs remain fully viable and capable of rapid resumption, making it more difficult to analyze the reasons and global implications of the American operation. For the international community, this news came as a surprise. The United States publicly stated that it launched targeted strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in response to the country’s growing nuclear capabilities and the potential threat to regional security. However, given the lack of official information from Tehran regarding the scale of destruction, tensions in the region remain high. We can only wait and observe how the situation develops further, as the circumstances surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and its relations with the U.S. continue to be among the most delicate and complex issues in the Middle East region.