Chinese international relations experts stated that the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities constitute a violation of international law while undermining both the authority of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Guo Xiaobing, a research professor at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities not only violate international law but also contradict its previous principles against such actions.
"These attacks by the U.S. on Iran's nuclear facilities violate international law, as these three facilities were under the supervision of the IAEA for peaceful purposes. According to several resolutions passed by the IAEA, member states are required not to attack nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes. And what the U.S. attacked were nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes that are under the supervision of the IAEA," Guo said.
"In 1981, when Israel attacked Iraq's nuclear reactor, all the member states of the United Nations Security Council, including the U.S., unanimously passed a resolution condemning Israel's actions at that time. Today, the actions of the U.S. violate the principles it initially supported," he said.
According to the expert, continuous tracking and monitoring of the sites housing the three nuclear facilities are imperative due to the uncertain potential risks of radioactive and chemical contamination.
"If there is enriched uranium in these three nuclear facilities, and if it is released into the atmosphere, it could cause radioactive contamination, as well as chemical contamination. This would lead to an increase in the incidence of cancer, blood disorders, and kidney diseases among local people. If there is subsidence underground, these radioactive substances could also enter groundwater and the food chain, causing long-term impacts on the environment and the health of local people. Therefore, it will require continuous tracking and monitoring by professional institutions such as the IAEA to determine if there is any radioactive contamination or impact," Guo said.
Furthermore, Tang Zhichao, a researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have severely undermined the authority of the IAEA and the global non-proliferation regime.
"The U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have caused significant damage to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. As we all know, the IAEA should have been the main channel for addressing international nuclear non-proliferation issues. At critical moments, it should have played its due role. However, such military actions by the U.S. and Israel have undermined this mechanism of the IAEA and its function," Tang said.
US strikes on Iran violate int'l law, undermine nuclear non-proliferation regime: experts
