TEHRAN – Former U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Robert Malley, has criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iranian nuclear sites, warning the move had “unpredictable” consequences and failed to achieve its intended goals.  
“So, I do think a military option was the wrong one for all kinds of reasons. It doesn’t fully take care of the problem. It leads to all kinds of uncertainties and unpredictable outcomes that I think we’re going to live with, not just in the coming days, weeks, but also months and years,” Malley told NBC. “So I think that it was the wrong option to take.”
Malley said the strikes failed to spark unrest inside Iran and instead triggered nationalist sentiment. “They were becoming more nationalist amid the unprovoked assault,” he added, citing Iranian-American acquaintances.
On June 13, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iranian soil, martyring senior military commanders and nuclear scientists as well as civilians. The U.S. joined the aggression days later, targeting the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites—facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitoring.
Trump claimed the strikes aimed to “destroy” Iran’s enrichment capability. However, U.S. intelligence assessments reportedly contradicted this, saying Iran’s core nuclear infrastructure remained intact.
On Thursday, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi reaffirmed the durability of the country’s program. 
“What is rooted will not be harmed by attack and pressure,” he said in an interview Thursday. “They must understand that this industry is rooted in our nation. They cannot uproot it.”
He added, “Given the capabilities and potential we possess, the growth of this industry must continue. It will not be stopped.”
Malley also reflected on the broader policy failure behind Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). “It didn’t happen,” he said of the assumption Iran would capitulate under maximum pressure. “They’re not going to give up their one asset just because of coercion. They’re going to want something in exchange.”
Malley further noted that Iran’s focus on ballistic missile development predates sanctions, and recalled that during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the Islamic Republic was “almost on its own.”
Iranian lawmakers have since passed legislation to suspend cooperation with the IAEA following a politically motivated report and resolution pushed through by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Western powers.
The U.S.-Israeli strikes have drawn widespread condemnation, with many countries and organizations labeling them as violations of Iran’s sovereignty, international law, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).