Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the U.S. bombing of the Fordow nuclear facility inflicted “serious and heavy” damage on the site, as Tehran’s leaders weigh next steps amid mounting regional tensions and the threat of a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In an interview with CBS News, Araqchi acknowledged the scale of the destruction, though specific details remain unclear.

“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” he said. “The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran... is currently undertaking evaluation and assessment, the report of which will be submitted to the government.”

Intercepted Iranian communications reviewed by the U.S. intelligence community appear to play down the extent of the damage, according to The Washington Post, which cited four people familiar with classified reports being circulated in Washington.

Iran Suspends Cooperation with UN Watchdog

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has enacted a law passed last month by parliament to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iranian state media reported Wednesday. The move is seen as a further escalation in the ongoing standoff with the West over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and regional posture.

Signs of Preparation to Close Key Waterway

Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Iranian forces loaded naval mines onto vessels operating in the Persian Gulf last month, a step that raised alarm in Washington that Iran was considering a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for global energy shipments.

The preparations, which had not been previously reported, occurred after Israel carried out missile strikes on Iranian territory on June 13. According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Tehran's actions were detected through classified intelligence sources, potentially including satellite imagery and human intelligence.

The mines were never deployed, and it is unclear whether they remain onboard. But the move was interpreted as a signal that Iran was seriously considering the closure of the waterway, which would have sharply escalated tensions and disrupted global oil and gas flows.

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas transits through the Strait of Hormuz. A full closure could have sent energy prices soaring. However, global oil prices have dropped more than 10% since the U.S. strikes, as markets took comfort in the fact that shipping through the strait has so far remained uninterrupted.

Shortly after the U.S. airstrikes, Iran’s parliament backed a non-binding measure supporting a closure of the strait. Any decision on such a move, however, would fall to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and so far, Tehran has not acted on the threat.

The U.S. government has not ruled out the possibility that the mine-loading operation was a tactical bluff, meant to convey a credible threat to Washington without actual intent to block the strait. Alternatively, officials say Iran may have been preparing in case leadership gave the order.