Russia warns of 'Chernobyl-scale catastrophe' if Israel strikes Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor

In this Oct. 26, 2010 file photo, a worker rides a bike in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, outside Bushehr, Iran. (AP)

As Israeli bombs rain down on Iran, the biggest concern for the region and the world is not just further destabilization, but also the threat of a nuclear disaster. While Israel has repeatedly claimed it is only targeting nuclear facilities in Iran, experts are sounding the alarm over the potential fallout from such precision strikes.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned of possible risks of nuclear accidents due to military attacks — and now Russia has joined the chorus, warning of a nuclear catastrophe. Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company, Rosatom, issued a strong statement through its CEO, Alexey Likhachev, saying that if Israel targets Iran’s sole active nuclear reactor at Bushehr, it could trigger a Chernobyl-like disaster. Russian state media RIA Novosti quoted Likhachev as urging Tel Aviv to refrain from attacking the only operational nuclear reactor in Iran.

What could happen in a Chernobyl-like catastrophe

An Israeli strike on the Bushehr nuclear power plant — Iran’s only functioning reactor — could result in a catastrophe comparable to Chernobyl, warned Likhachev on Thursday. The Rosatom chief called any such attack “beyond evil” and revealed that several Russian specialists working at the site had already been successfully evacuated.

Located on the Persian Gulf coast, the Bushehr reactor was built through joint collaboration between Iran and Russia. Not only Moscow, but several Gulf nations have expressed concern over the hazards a potential strike could unleash. A direct hit on the plant would likely impact the entire Persian Gulf region.

A CNN report quoted Scott Roecker, Vice President for Nuclear Materials Security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, saying that an attack on the Bushehr plant “would result in the dispersal of a lot of radiation.”

This warning comes on the same day Israeli missiles reportedly struck the inactive nuclear facility in Arak. The military campaign, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and launched last Friday, is aimed at eliminating all of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Interestingly, while both Israel and the United States have suggested that Tehran is nearing the production of an actual nuclear bomb, the IAEA pushed back on that narrative. On Thursday, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told Sky News that there was no evidence from on-ground assessments indicating that Iran is close to manufacturing an atomic weapon.