Iran-Israel War: In the wee hours of June 13, Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion” against Iran, targeting its nuclear and military infrastructure. The airstrikes are seen as the boldest actions by Tel Aviv against Tehran. Iran, in retaliation, has launched 100 drones, which the Israeli military said it is intercepting.
As per state media reports, several nuclear scientists and military officials have been killed. Iran’s former national security chief, Ali Shamkhani and its Revolutionary Guards’ Commander Hossein Salami were killed.
IAEA has confirmed that the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, Isfahan nuclear site and Bushehr nuclear plant, the country’s first nuclear energy plant, have not been attacked. The Natanz Nuclear Facility is reportedly more than 40 meters under the ground and is protected by an 8-metre thick steel and concrete shell. Fordow plant is built into the side of a mountain and is reportedly half a kilometre below the Earth.
While the nuclear plants are deep down in the earth, targeting power lines, transformers, labs, and testing facilities may halt the operation of centrifuges. However, the process of stopping the machines that separate uranium isotopes can take days.
This attack comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently issued a statement saying that Iran has not been complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). However, IAEA has now confirmed that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz nuclear site, Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organisation, in a joint statement, said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution.” The joint statement further said that the country will move their new enrichment facility “in a secure location” for which “measures are also being planned”.
Iran-Israel War: But why did Israel attack Iran?
The attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear site came after Tehran announced that it is activating a third nuclear enrichment facility.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was on “the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program”, and asserted that the strikes would continue “for as long as it takes to remove this threat”. Israel sees Iran’s nuclear program as a threat and believes that the country is developing nuclear weapons. Although Israel launched an attack on Iran over fears that it is developing nuclear weapons, it is itself a nuclear-armed nation.
Iran, on the other hand, has repeatedly denied these accusations and maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and medical research. Iran has invested heavily in uranium technology, which is necessary for both nuclear power and, potentially, nuclear weapons. As per reports, Iran is enriching uranium up to 60 per cent purity, which is way above the 3.67 per cent limit set by the 2015 deal and less than 90 per cent required to build nuclear weapons. This increased level and a new enrichment facility pointed towards Iran building nuclear weapons, an allegation it has denied.
Iran’s nuclear ambitions
Iran’s nuclear activities reportedly came to light in 2002 when undisclosed sites were discovered. US intelligence agencies and the IAEA alleged that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program that it halted in 2003. Iran, however, has denied this claim.
In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement with China, France, Russia, the UK, the US, and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to reduce its stock of enriched uranium by 98%, limit its enrichment to 3.67%, reduce centrifuges by two-thirds, restrict enrichment to a single facility, and allow regular inspections by the IAEA.
However, in 2018, the US withdrew from the agreement, saying that the deal did not address Iran’s missile program and regional activities and imposed sanctions against it. After that, Iran resumed its uranium enrichment activities beyond the limits set by the JCPOA.
The US later wanted a deal with Iran but it now seems impossible given the ongoing conflict on the region.
So, could it trigger a nuclear war?
Amid Israel’s attack and Iran’s retaliation, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement. He said that Israel had “unleashed its wicked and bloody” hand in a crime against Iran and that it would receive “a bitter fate for itself”.
“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see,” he said.
Israel’s operation against Iran has apparently stalled any immediate prospects for a diplomatic resolution and has increased the risk of a broader military conflict. It is also feared that Iran could use its proxies instead of a full-blown war. Israel is already at war with the Palestinian group Hamas, which is backed by Iran. It started in October 2023.
While neither side has openly used nuclear weapons, the attack on nuclear sites and the killing of high-ranking officials raises fear.
US, which until now wanted a deal with Iran, distanced itself from the ongoing conflict. The deal was in talks and was going in a “positive” direction. Out of this deal, Trump was hoping for a political win and Iran for relief from sanctions. “Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership who will not be coming back,” Trump said after Israel attacked Iran.
The strikes that Israel carried out today came after Trump’s warning that negotiations between the two countries had failed. Iran responded to Trump’s warning, saying that it is open to talks but would retaliate and target all the American bases in the country if attacked.
“In that case, America will have to leave the region, because all of its bases are within our reach. We have access to them, and without hesitation, we will target all of them in the host countries,” the Iranian minister had said.