Iran vows to rebuild nuclear sites ‘stronger than before’
Pezeshkian: Nuclear industry aimed at public welfare, not weapons
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Iran would rebuild nuclear sites damaged by Israeli and US strikes "stronger than before."
US President Donald Trump has claimed that the June strikes “totally obliterated” Iran's nuclear program, but the full extent of the actual damage remains unknown.
In a visit to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) for visiting an exhibition showcasing the latest nuclear achievements in the fields of healthcare, medicine, and production of radiopharmaceuticals, Pezeshkian said Tehran "will build (the destroyed sites) stronger than before.”
"By destroying buildings... we will not be set back," he said in a video posted to his official website, adding that Iranian scientists still had the necessary nuclear know-how.
Pezeshkian also emphasized that Iran’s expansion of its peaceful nuclear industry is aimed at enhancing the nation’s welfare, not acquiring weapons.
Pezeshkian said biased propaganda and narratives are meant to insinuate that nuclear activities are synonymous with developing atomic bombs.
“However, the nuclear industry is a vast collection of scientific and industrial capacities and only a tiny fraction of its disproportionate and inhumane consequences relates to bomb-making,” he added.
“Our intention and determination in expanding this industry is to meet the needs of the people and enhance the welfare of our country, not to produce weapons.”
Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran in June, kicking off a 12-day war that saw it target nuclear and military facilities as well as residential areas, and kill many top scientists, military commanders and civilians.
The US joined the aggression by the Israeli regime, targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The Israeli strikes on June 13 came as Iran and the US were scheduled to hold sixth round of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program in Oman. The regime’s aggression derailed the negotiations which had been underway since April. The United States then joined the aggression on June 22 and bombed Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.
Iran retaliated with ballistic missile barrages aimed at Israeli cities.
Tehran accused the IAEA of effectively paving the way for the Israel-US attacks with a report on May 31 that led the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes.
US President Donald Trump has warned that he will order fresh attacks on Iran's nuclear sites should Tehran try to restart facilities that the United States bombed in June.