'Catastrophe millimetres away': Russia on Israel's 'daily strikes' on Iran's nuclear sites

Russia has warned that the world is very close to a nuclear catastrophe as Israel continues its military campaign against Iran.

Russia Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Wednesday said that the world was “millimeters away” from a nuclear catastrophe as Israel continued to target nuclear sites in Iran, according to state media.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has set the destruction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities as the principal objective of the war. He has maintained that this was last window to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. While Israel has struck the Iranian nuclear site at Natanz, the site at Fordow buried deep underground remains out of reach. Netanyahu is counting on US President Donald Trump to join the war with his ‘bunker buster’ bombs to strike Fordow.

Even as Russia continues to wage a war on Ukraine in which it has struck Ukrainian nuclear facilities, Zakharova warned about the risk of Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Every day, multiple missile strikes are launched against Iran’s peaceful civilian nuclear facilities, which are under the supervision of IAEA observers… Based on the statement made by the Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday, it must be understood that we are millimeters away from catastrophe,” said Zakharova.

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Even as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has charged Iran with having near-weapons grade uranium and ramping up its development in recent time, Zakharova invoked the IAEA to defend Iran’s nuclear programme.

“The situation has shifted from a hypothetical scenario to a real one, where they launch missile strikes at peaceful civilian nuclear facilities in Iran under the control of the IAEA,” said Zakharova.

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Ironically, Russia has been accused of attacking nuclear plants Zaporizhzhia and Chernobyl repeatedly in the ongoing war against Russia. The United Nations (UN) has held these allegations as credible. Despite waging a war itself and itself being accused of attacking nuclear sites of another country, Russia has offered to mediate between Israel and Iran in the ongoing conflict.

Netanyahu has, however, rejected the idea of talks even as US President Donald Trump is said to have offered Iran the last chance to reach a deal for a ceasefire and for the regime’s nuclear programme. Trump has already moved US military assets in West Asia in preparation to launch potential military operations. It has been reported that Trump is actively considering joining Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear sites.