Israel’s attack on Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility constitutes a clear violation of multiple international agreements, including the Geneva Conventions’ Additional Protocol I (1977), which explicitly protects nuclear installations from military strikes due to their catastrophic potential for civilian and environmental harm. The strike also contravenes Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, prohibiting the use of force without Security Council authorization or legitimate self-defense, as well as the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (1980), which criminalizes sabotage of such facilities. Absent a UN-recognized imminent threat, the attack undermines the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968) and the IAEA safeguards regime that have governed nuclear security for decades. This sets a dangerous precedent, risking a cascade of violations as other states may justify targeting nuclear sites under dubious pretenses.
The international community now faces its most serious test since the Cuban Missile Crisis, whether to enforce these critical protections or descend into unchecked nuclear brinkmanship. With global tensions at their highest since the Cold War, some analysts fear the erosion of safeguards could lead to uncontrolled proliferation and radiological disasters. Compounding the crisis is the muted response from the U.S. and EU, traditionally staunch defenders of these laws. Their reluctance to condemn the strike raises urgent questions: Were these rules designed to protect all nations, or only a select few?
The situation grows even more volatile as President Donald Trump considers further escalation, suggesting the use of a 5,000-pound “mountain buster” bomb against Iran’s Fordo facility. Such rhetoric threatens to plunge the world into an era where treaties are discarded entirely, a scenario likened to “the early days of cage fighting,” where there were no rules but brute force.
The implications extend far beyond the Middle East. If major powers flout international law with impunity, what prevents Russia from striking Ukrainian nuclear sites? Could North Korea justify attacks on Japanese or South Korean facilities? The fear now is that nuclear installations worldwide, even university research reactors could become military targets.
With war raging in Ukraine and tensions rising across Asia, the erosion of international law risks unleashing unchecked aggression. If the powerful disregard the rules, smaller nations may follow suit. For laws to function, they must be universally respected. The alternative, a world where “anything goes” threatens catastrophic consequences. If this continues, annihilation won’t just be a risk in one conflict, it will loom over all of them.
Article by M. Davar
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