What was feared has happened. US forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites. Announcing this, President Donald Trump said last weekend that he warned Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace.
“The strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.” In a speech that lasted just over three minutes, Trump said Iran’s future held “either peace or tragedy and there were many other targets that could be hit by the US military. If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”
Trump said US forces hit Iran’s three principal nuclear sites: Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. He told Fox News’ Sean Hannity show that six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against other nuclear sites. Iranian media quoted Iran’s nuclear body as saying there were no signs of contamination after the attacks, and no danger to residents living nearby. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles at US military bases in Qatar and Iraq on Monday evening. The bases were attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran.
The world community has reacted sharply to Trump’s decision to join Israel’s military campaign against Iran which is seen as a major escalation of the conflict and risks opening a new era of instability in the Middle East region. The strikes came as Israel and Iran had been engaged in more than a week of aerial combat that resulted in deaths and injuries in both countries. Israel launched the attacks on Iran saying it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the US military strike on its nuclear facilities, calling the action an unprecedented breach of international law and a grave violation of the UN Charter. In a statement, Iran accused the United States of a “brutal military aggression” against its peaceful nuclear infrastructure. Tehran held Washington responsible for what it called a “heinous crime” and warned of “dangerous consequences” stemming from the attack. The Foreign Ministry said the attack violated Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force, and breached UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, expressing his concern over the dangerous development, stated: “I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge — and a direct threat to international peace and security. There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world. I call on Member States to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.”
Reacting to the US attacks, Pakistan stressed that “recourse to dialogue and diplomacy, in line with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, remains the only viable pathway to resolve the crises in the region”. “We emphasise the imperative need to respect civilian lives and properties and immediately bring the conflict to end. All parties must adhere to international law, particularly International Humanitarian Law,” the Foreign Office said.
Russia has also strongly condemned the United States over its recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling the move a “blatant violation” of international law and a threat to global security. In a statement, Moscow criticised the attacks, saying “the decision to launch missile and aerial strikes on the territory of a sovereign state, regardless of the justifications offered, constitutes a blatant violation of the UN Charter and relevant Security Council resolutions.” China too has criticized the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and reiterated that it’s willing to join international efforts to restore peace in the Middle East: “The US move seriously violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law and exacerbates tensions in the Middle East. China calls on all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible.”
Reacting to the critical turn in the Middle East, Arab countries have in one voice censured the US air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, warning of serious repercussions and calling for a return to diplomacy. In a statement, Saudi Arabia said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the developments in the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran, represented by the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States of America.” Saudi Arabia called for “efforts to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation”.
Besides Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries have been engaged in hurried diplomatic efforts for a solution to the conflict. Oman, the mediator of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, has condemned US strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, calling it an unlawful act of aggression: “The Sultanate of Oman denounces this unlawful act of aggression and urges immediate and comprehensive de-escalation,” according to a statement by the foreign ministry. Qatar, host of the biggest US military base in the Middle East, said it feared serious repercussions after US air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. In a statement, the foreign ministry warned that the current dangerous escalation in the region may lead to catastrophic consequences at both the regional and international levels. On the other hand, the United Arab Emirates has urged an immediate halt to the escalation to “avoid serious repercussions” in the region following strikes by the US. It warned that such actions could lead the region to “new levels of instability.”
It is clear that the Middle East faces a dangerous future and if urgent steps are not taken to douse the fires, anything can happen. An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council should be convened to arrange an immediate ceasefire and initiate a process of multilateral dialogue to find a peaceful solution to the Iran-US conflict. In this situation, the OIC can play a vital role by becoming the united voice of the Muslim world at the UN and other world forums. It also has the capability to act as a mediator to find a negotiated settlement to the Iran-Israeli dispute.