LONDON, September 24. /TASS/. Iranian authorities have acknowledged that the republic's nuclear infrastructure was partially damaged during the US strikes in June but expressed confidence in their ability to repair the damage.

"It is quite normal for damage to be inflicted on facilities and for infrastructure to be destroyed as a result of a military attack," Iranian Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami said in an interview with a British television channel.

He noted that Tehran has the ability to repair the damage thanks to accumulated experience. "What is important is that science, skills, technology, and industry are focused on the long term and are deeply rooted in Iran's history," Eslami said.

The official spoke out against direct negotiations with the US about Iran’s nuclear program. "There is no need to negotiate with them. The US government has committed a great injustice against the Iranian people, has seriously undermined Iran since the Islamic revolution and recently carried out a military attack on our country. An enemy is an enemy, even if it shows no hostility, and as long as the level of hostility is high, it is futile to negotiate," Eslami explained. He accused Washington of attacking Iran while indirect negotiations were underway.

Early on June 13, Israel launched a military operation against Iran. The Islamic Republic retaliated. The US entered the conflict on June 22, striking Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The following day, Tehran launched a missile strike on Al Udeid, the largest US military air base in the Middle East, located in Qatar. On June 24, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire.

In 2025, five rounds of negotiations between Iran and the United States on the nuclear dossier yielded no results due to the start of Israel's military operation against the Islamic Republic and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Three European powers (France, the UK and Germany - the so-called E3), too, held talks with Tehran but failed to mediate a new agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.