Nazia Sheikh
In 1986, at a power plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, a major incident occurred Chernobyl disaster. A reactor exploded and caught fire, releasing a large amount of dangerous radiation into the atmosphere, resulting in people being displaced and suffering severe health issues, and some casualties also. One of the worst nuclear disasters in history, which caused radiation effects to spread in parts of Europe.
International cautions that nuclear plants should never be put in danger, even indirectly, continue to neglect, and states are not interested in learning from nuclear incidents in history that caused dangerous effects worldwide. In today’s conflicts, where nuclear installations are once again in danger, these cautions are being put to the test.
The strikes that are currently taking place on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the US-Israel serve as a reminder of how the lack of prudence brings back dangers that the international community once promised to eradicate. Chornobyl serves as a constant reminder to avoid targeting nuclear infrastructure in the conflict.
Iran’s only functioning nuclear power plant, the Bushehr power plant, has been repeatedly targeted in the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, increasing the risks of a possible nuclear incident that could prove catastrophic across all Gulf countries, and a lack of concern by the US and Israel regarding the nuclear safety of power plants.
Recently, the attack on the plant hit by missiles caused building damage, and one security guard was killed, according to the state-run Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, which criticized the attack as Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that since the war broke out on February 28, the Bushehr plant has been repeatedly attacked four times.
The Russia-built Bushehr plant is situated in the coastal city of Bushehr with 250,000 residents. This is the first nuclear power plant with one operational reactor in the Middle East. Currently, Unit 1 provides 1,000 WM to the national grid, and two additional reactor units are expected to be operational by 2029. In 1975, initial work was started by German companies but finished by Russia’s atomic energy ministry in 2011.
There are currently hundreds of Russian soldiers stationed in Bushehr; some have been displaced in the wake of recent strikes. According to a warning from Moscow, attacks close to the plant might result in a “radiological disaster more devastating than Chernobyl.
This is a violation of international law to target civilian nuclear facilities during a conflict. According to Geneva Conventions Article 56 of Protocol I, which bans targeting installations containing dangerous forces, including those containing nuclear material.
The IAEA guidelines similarly restrict undifferentiated targeting of nuclear facilities, requiring countries to avoid physically hitting reactors and stored fuel, ensure the safety of staff, maintain power to the grid to prevent reactor core melt, and have systems in place to monitor radioactivity. With its member states, the IAEA promotes a strong nuclear safety framework to save people and the environment from the injurious effects of radiation.
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog and the International Atomic Energy Agency have repeatedly warned against targeting the nuclear plants. The IAEA called for maximum restraint as directly hitting the nuclear plants with tons of nuclear material can result in the release of radioactivity which have impact across Iran’s borders. The release of radiological particles, specifically the hazardous isotope Caesium-137, into the atmosphere as strike on a nuclear reactor or storage pools for used fuel.
These can contaminate food, soil, or drinking water supplies for decades after being dispersed far beyond the release location by wind and water. Skin burns and an increased risk of cancer would result from close exposure to such material. Within several hundred kilometers of the plant, departure orders would have to be issued, extending to countries outside Iran.
Radioactive contamination would affect marine life in the area, and the Gulf’s shallowness could see the negative effects remain for a long period. It will also affect the drinking water supplies because Gulf countries rely heavily on the purification of seawater as they lack groundwater. Launching attacks on energy or nuclear facilities while knowing it could cause extensive environmental damage and loss of life is also a war crime.
Along with that, repeated attacks will set a dangerous precedent that blurs the line between military targets and civilian targets, and this also reflects the increasing norm of militarization of nuclear issues in regional conflicts. Selective international responses, such as muted statements, can erode the credibility of global nuclear safeguards and increase mistrust, escalate tensions, and undermine nuclear restraint norms.
The IAEA should play its critical role to prevent nuclear accidents, maintain international oversight, negotiate with states to stay restrained as a neutral mediator, and reinforce norms against targeting civilian nuclear facilities in war or conflicts.
The author is a Research Officer at the Centre for International Strategic Studies, AJK. She holds an MPhil degree in International Relations from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Her research interests focus on arms control and disarmament. Email: nsheikh536@gmail.com
