Iran finally admits nuclear sites were badly hit by U.S. strikes

Iran has officially acknowledged that its nuclear facilities suffered major damage during recent U.S. airstrikes, following former President Donald Trump’s claims that the sites were “obliterated.”

On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed that the strikes had inflicted serious damage on Iran’s three key nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.

The admission comes days after Trump likened the effectiveness of the airstrikes to the atomic bombings of Japan during World War II and criticized media outlets for downplaying the impact.

“We have suffered significant impacts from the U.S. bunker-busting bombs,” Baghaei stated, ending speculation about the extent of destruction Iran had previously downplayed.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stirred controversy with his colorful praise of Trump’s role in the recent Israel-Iran conflict.

In a public appearance, Rutte compared Trump’s intervention to that of a stern father breaking up a schoolyard fight.

“Like two kids in the schoolyard, they fight like hell… then it’s easy to stop them,” Trump said during a press briefing.

Rutte added with a laugh: “Daddy has to use strong language.”

The U.S. president then referenced his own use of expletives in addressing the conflict, reinforcing his no-nonsense diplomatic style.

Rutte, who described Trump as a “man of strength but also a man of peace,” later denied that his praise was demeaning, saying during a press conference in The Hague:

“It is a question of taste. He is a good friend, and when he is doing stuff, which is forcing us… would that [progress] have happened if he hadn’t been re-elected president?”