MOSCOW, June 27 /TASS/. The US bombing of Iran could prompt other countries to develop nuclear weapons and trigger an arms race, nuclear expert Alexander Uvarov, who heads the Atominfo analytical center, told TASS.
"The destruction of Iranian nuclear facilities under international control sends a highly troubling signal. It calls into question the sustainability of the global non-proliferation regime and weakens the authority of institutions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Countries suspected of developing nuclear capabilities may interpret this as a signal that the guarantee of inviolability is invalid and that the only defense against such a fate is to create a full-fledged nuclear shield. Thus, instead of de-escalating the crisis, the strike may trigger a new arms race and increase global instability," he said.
Uvarov noted that the US strike on Iran marked the first time since the 1980s that precision-guided weapons were used on a large scale against facilities directly related to the nuclear infrastructure of a sovereign state. In 1981, Israel attacked a facility in Iraq.
"For the first time since the 1980s, a precision-guided strike was carried out against another country's nuclear facilities. This event marked a dramatic escalation of the regional conflict and could radically change the international legal, strategic, nonproliferation, and defense agendas. Unlike limited strikes on military depots or infrastructure, this was a carefully planned attack on dual-use facilities: civilian and potentially military," he said.
According to the expert, the nature of the strike testifies to the advanced technology of the systems used: munitions with a minimum deflection radius, air defense suppression systems, and reconnaissance satellites were employed to ensure synchronized attacks.
In the early morning hours of June 13, Israel launched a military operation against Iran. Less than 24 hours later, Iran retaliated. Nine days later, on the morning of June 22, US jets attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities (in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan), entering the conflict.