Ex-Russian president warns of new Chernobyl

The escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict poses serious radioactive contamination risks, Dmitry Medvedev says

Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities could result in a nuclear disaster akin to the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Thursday.

His comments come amid reports that the US is weighing a potential strike on Iran's heavily fortified Fordow nuclear installation, which was built deep into a mountain to withstand airstrikes. The US is reportedly considering the deployment of its GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs to target the site. Israel has no comparable military capability.

”Everyone, even the Israeli defense minister, with his loud declaration about Khamenei's fate, must understand that attacks on nuclear facilities are extremely dangerous and can lead to a repeat of the Chernobyl tragedy,” said Medvedev, who is currently deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, in a social media post.

Earlier Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz referred to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as a “modern-day Hitler” who “can no longer be allowed to exist.”

Read more

The Guardian reported on Thursday that US officials doubt whether the GBU-57s would be effective. According to the report, some officials have said that only a tactical nuclear weapon could damage Fordow — a scenario President Donald Trump is reportedly not considering.

The White House has dismissed the claims. Fox News cited an anonymous official who said the US military is “confident bunker busters can complete the job, and NO OPTIONS have been taken off the table.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said a final decision on possible US military action would be made within two weeks.

Speaking in a Q&A with journalists on Wednesday night Russian President Vladimir Putin said that despite the attacks, Iran’s underground infrastructure remained operational. Moscow is calling for deescalation of tensions and has offered itself as a mediator.

On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called reports about possible US use of tactical nuclear weapons “speculative” and warned that such a move would be “catastrophic.”

READ MORE: Pentagon and US intel chiefs sidelined from Iran‑Israel discussions – media

Tensions flared last Friday when Israel launched unprovoked airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and assassinated multiple Iranian nuclear scientists and high-ranking military officers.

West Jerusalem claimed the operation was a “preemptive” effort to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies its nuclear program has a military dimension, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said it has seen no signs of imminent weaponization.