JERUSALEM/TEHERAN/WASHINGTON. Iran intends to continue its nuclear program following the attacks on its most important nuclear facilities. It intends to continue the production process without interruption, Mohammed Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), told state broadcaster IRIB.

The damage to the facilities is currently being assessed. Experts say the extent of the destruction following attacks by Israel and the United States on the country's nuclear facilities is still unclear. For example, the United States attacked the underground Fordow facility with bunker-busting bombs. President Donald Trump subsequently spoke of the complete destruction of key facilities. This has not been confirmed.

Israel's stated goal in the war was to stop Tehran's nuclear program and eliminate the threat to the Jewish people posed by Iran's weapons programs. Tehran has consistently emphasized that its nuclear program serves only civilian purposes, not the development of nuclear weapons. However, uranium enrichment to 60 percent, as has been done in Iran, is far above the usual level for conventional civilian nuclear power plants. For nuclear weapons, uranium must be enriched to over 90 percent.