MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Soon after the U.S. hit nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend, President Trump spoke to the nation and called it a, quote, "spectacular military success."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.
MARTIN: But there are new questions this morning about whether the administration overstated the results.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
A U.S. official not authorized to speak on the matter has confirmed to NPR that a preliminary intelligence assessment shows the U.S. air strikes did not fully destroy Iran's nuclear program. The program was instead set back a few months according to the assessment. Now, the Trump administration is denying that assessment. Speaking at the NATO summit this morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had this to say.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PETE HEGSETH: Given the 30,000 pounds of explosives and capability of those munitions, it was devastation underneath Fordo.
MARTIN: Physically obliterated or not, some believe Iran can bounce back.
SEYED HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: The main issue is know-how and technology, and you cannot destroy technology and know-how by bombing. You may destroy or damage the buildings or centrifuges, but this would be easily recovered.
MARTIN: That is Seyed Hossein Mousavian. He is a former Iranian diplomat who took part in nuclear negotiations in the early 2000s. Today, he's a researcher at Princeton University.
MARTÍNEZ: Before we learned of the new intelligence assessment, I asked Mousavian for his opinion of Iran's nuclear ambitions and the impact of the U.S. and Israeli strikes.
So even with everything that has happened, am I correct in assuming that at some point, there probably still needs to be some kind of deal in place to prevent Iran from enriching uranium to the point where they could make some kind of a weapon?
HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: First of all, they have never been after weapon. I mean, this is really a fake and manufactured narrative, like what the narrative they made in order to attack Iraq. I mean, these narratives, these are really something as a coverage to do military strikes, to destroy or to bring regime change.
MARTÍNEZ: If that's true that it is in fact a manufactured narrative, why would there be a facility hidden so far beneath a mountain underground?
HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: Because from the first - the Day 1, the U.S. and Israel, they have threatened Iran for decades. Every American president has said all options are on the table. When you are threatening a country, they have to do it under the ground. It's normal.
MARTÍNEZ: We know that Iran has suspended international inspections during this current conflict. Would you think inspectors will be allowed back in at some point to see what the damage is and where their capabilities stand?
HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: See, I think, this time, the situation would be different and this would be much more complicated because Iran was attacked. This is unprecedented in the history that the two nuclear states, without the permission of United Nations Security Council, attacked the nuclear facilities of a non-nuclear weapons state. What could be worse than this? How Iran can trust?
And the other problem is about the IAEA. Even if Iran wants to cooperate, after huge destructions, how verification would be possible? That's why I think this attack, ultimately, was completely counterproductive. It was an attack on nonproliferation treaty. More than Iran.
MARTÍNEZ: So if indeed trust is broken at this point, I mean, what does that mean for the future?
HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: I have proposed there is a need for direct negotiations between Iran and the U.S. I mean, I really don't see any other way because IAEA proved is completely helpless. Because by the charter of the IAEA, if a nuclear weapon estate is attacking a non-nuclear weapon estate, this agency should come to support the non-nuclear weapon estate. But they did nothing. I hope President Trump would go for a serious, sincere, comprehensive dialogue and would stop these zigzag positions because once you say I'm for diplomacy, tomorrow you attack. Once you say, I'm not after regime change, tomorrow you say I'm after regime change. I mean, this is something really nobody know what should be done.
MARTÍNEZ: Hossein Mousavian is a former Iranian nuclear negotiator and current researcher at Princeton University. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with us.
HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: Thank you very much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
