The U.S. military joined Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran on June 21, targeting nuclear sites at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan with bunker-buster bombs and cruise missiles. It remains unclear whether Iran retains a path to a nuclear weapon or if any of its enrichment capabilities or fissile material have gone underground. But Operation Midnight Hammer did not occur in a vacuum. It will likely have a chilling effect on nuclear nonproliferation efforts globally as states decide whether transparency is now a risk. To avoid sending the message that states seeking nuclear weapons should retreat from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and hide their activities, the United States and Iran should reinforce the important role of the UN organization charged with nuclear oversight: the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). There are still IAEA inspectors in Iran who are capable of onsite inspections and who would help verify the location of Iran’s fissile material and the state of the Iranian nuclear program. Unfortunately, Iran’s parliament took initial steps to suspend cooperation with the IAEA two days after the U.S. strikes.
The Nonproliferation Chilling Effect U.S. Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites Could Cause (Erin D. Dumbacher – Council on Foreign Relations)
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