The Donald Trump administration in the United States is overwhelming the world with a relentless flow of news – whether truth, deception, or a mix of both. Thanks to this so-called flood-the-zone strategy, it’s becoming difficult to focus on a very basic but important point regarding the Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran: attacking nuclear facilities is an extremely dangerous act for all humanity and the environment. It’s just inhumane.
So far, Iranian authorities have informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that no elevated radiation levels have been detected outside the three nuclear facilities attacked by U.S. and Israeli forces.
However, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi explicitly warned that military action against nuclear facilities in Iran increases the risk of radioactive material spreading, potentially causing severe harm to people and the environment. He emphasized that nuclear facilities should never be attacked and called for a diplomatic solution to prevent further escalation.
On June 20, Grossi named the Bushehr nuclear plant in southwestern Iran as one of Iran’s nuclear facilities. He warned that an attack could create “serious consequences,” saying, “Even the failure of the power lines could lead to a meltdown of the reactor core.”
Grossi said that in the worst case scenario, the plant would have to take measures such as evacuating residents, and the impact could extend for hundreds of kilometers around the site.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported on June 23 that satellite images suggested the U.S. Air Force had avoided attacking Iran’s three research reactors operating at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology and Research Center.
Russia’s attack on the Ukrainian nuclear plant seems to have lowered the threshold for attacks on nuclear facilities. And now, the danger of Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities specifically are being ignored in the Western media, as if they are not of any serious concern – as opposed to the geopolitical implications, which are being covered from every angle.
In Japan, the only country to have suffered from atomic bombings during war, there are growing voices of concern about the international trend in which attacks on nuclear facilities have become commonplace.
On June 14, the day after the Israeli military’s large-scale attack on more than 100 targets, including nuclear-related and military facilities across Iran, seven hibakusha – atomic bomb survivor – groups in Hiroshima Prefecture issued a statement to “strongly protest against this extremely dangerous and violent act.”
“After 80 years in the nuclear age, we cannot help but feel strong indignation, deep sadness and anxiety at the current trend that has broken the ‘nuclear taboo’ and is pushing nuclear risks to the limit,” the statement said.
“Israel refuses to stop its air strikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities and other targets. Not only are there concerns that the number of casualties will increase, but there are also concerns that the damage from radioactive contamination will worsen. We strongly protest this extremely dangerous and outrageous act, which is strongly suspected to be in violation of international law,” the statement stressed.
On June 24, four atomic bomb survivor groups in Nagasaki Prefecture also issued a joint statement in response to the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, saying, “We strongly urge the U.S. government to abide by international law and resolve the conflict through dialogue, not through violence.”
“This year marks 80 years since the atomic bombing. The average age of survivors is now over 86 years old. Over these 80 years, survivors have appealed to the world for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for Nagasaki to be the last place to be bombed,” the statement said.
“We once again ask all of you in nuclear-weapon nations and world leaders: are you aware that the damage caused by atomic bombs and nuclear weapons lasts a lifetime, and that even our children and grandchildren live in fear of the effects of radiation?” the statement emphasized.
If attacks on nuclear facilities are allowed to be taken lightly, in the event of emergencies here and elsewhere, nuclear power plants across the world could become routine targets from now on.
That would be extremely dangerous. At worst, military action could artificially create meltdowns like the ones seen at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, or Fukushima.
All of humanity, regardless of nationality, race, religion or ideology, must resolutely oppose the emerging new normal where world powers attack nuclear facilities with impunity.