‘Extremely dangerous’: Russia warns US against ‘military intervention’ in Iran-Israel war

Russia on Thursday warned the United States against any ‘military intervention’ in the Iran-Israel war, according to AFP.

“We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation, which would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,” AFP quoted Russia’s foreign ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as telling reporters.

The head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation warned on Thursday that an Israeli attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could lead to a “Chernobyl-style catastrophe”.

An Israeli military spokesperson said Israel had struck the site, but an Israeli military official later called this statement “a mistake” and said he could neither confirm nor deny that the Bushehr site on the cost of the Gulf had been hit.

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz earlier issued a stark warning, declaring that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist” after an Iranian missile strike hit a hospital near Tel Aviv.

Katz accused Khamenei of orchestrating a direct assault on civilians and pledged consequences. “The cowardly Iranian dictator sits in the depths of a fortified bunker and fires missiles at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel.

These are war crimes of the most serious kind — and Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes,” he wrote on X.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that the US will “suffer irreparable harm” for interfering in its conflict with Israel.

Donald Trump has responded, saying he might strike Iran or he might not.

Addressing a press conference from the White House’s south lawn, Trump spoke about whether the US will join Israel in its military offensive against Iran to ensure Tehran does not develop a nuclear weapon.

“I may do it, I may not do it – nobody knows what I’m going to do,” he said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader had said that his country “will never surrender” in response to Donald Trump’s call for an “unconditional surrender” from Tehran’s regime.

“The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn’t frightened by such threats,” he said.

On Tuesday, Trump issued a warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader, asking him to ‘surrender unconditionally’ and also stating that he knows where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding and can get him eliminated.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump said the only reason the US is choosing not to eliminate Khamenei is to avoid any retaliation against American civilians and troops.

A strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could trigger a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl, the head of Russia’s state atomic agency has warned. Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev sounded the alarm following reports that Israeli forces targeted the facility — Iran’s only operational nuclear power station — located on the Gulf coast.

An Israeli military official initially said the facility had been targeted – but another later said claimed it had been “a mistake” to make the claim. The official confirmed only that Israel had struck the Natanz, Isfahan and Arak nuclear sites — and declined to confirm or deny any attack on Bushehr itself. The Kremlin has not yet issued a formal response in light of the reported attack where Russian employees are working.

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This came as, on Thursday, defence minister Israel Katz appeared to threaten Ayatollah Ali Khamemei himself following the attacks on the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba. Posting on X, he said: “The cowardly Iranian dictator sits deep in his fortified bunker and fires targeted shots at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel. These are war crimes of the most serious kind – and Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes. The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran.”

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BEIRUT: In an attempt to restore peace in southern Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun outlined key priorities during talks with Thomas Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria.

Aoun said his country needs US support to restore security and stability in the region.

He called for Israeli forces to withdraw from the five hills they occupy and urged an end to hostile actions.

Aoun also emphasized the need to extend UNIFIL’s mandate, which operates in coordination with the Lebanese army to implement UN Resolution 1701 and aims to deploy along Lebanon’s internationally recognized border.

Aoun revealed plans to bolster Lebanon’s military presence in the south.

He announced that Lebanon will increase its army troops south of the Litani River to 10,000 soldiers.

Aoun said these units are working to implement UN Resolution 1701 fully, removing visible weapons, confiscating arms and ammunition, and ensuring only official security forces are armed.

But, he said, Israel’s occupation of the five hills and surrounding areas was hindering the army’s efforts.

The Lebanese president reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to uphold the principle of exclusive state control over weapons.

Aoun told Barrack that discussions were ongoing at both the Lebanese and Palestinian levels regarding the issue of Palestinian refugees’ weapons in the camps.

He expressed hope that the talks would intensify once the regional situation, recently disrupted by the escalating Israeli-Iranian conflict, stabilizes.

A source from the presidency told Arab News that Lebanon planned to move weapons north of the Litani River, but that the process would take time.

After Lebanon’s civil war, the source said Hezbollah gradually handed over its weapons to the government — a process that took considerable time to complete.

A source said that Barrack — temporarily handling Lebanese matters until a successor to former US envoy Morgan Ortagus is named — showed understanding and a positive attitude toward Lebanon’s position during meetings with political officials about the disarmament process.

Although no prompt response followed Barrack’s alert about the possibility of Hezbollah supporting Iran, the group released a statement on Thursday denouncing US threats against Ali Khamenei.

Hezbollah warned: “Threatening to kill him is not only a political folly, but a recklessness that will have dangerous repercussions.”

Hezbollah emphasized that “today, we stand more determined than ever to adhere to Imam Khamenei’s path and firm positions in confronting, along with the Islamic Republic, the Israeli-US aggression. Through its blind support for Israel, the US is marching toward an abyss from which it will not survive.”

Also on Thursday, the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon received a large delegation of Lebanese parties, forces, and figures allied with Hezbollah, and a coalition of Palestinian forces and factions close to the party, who came to “declare their solidarity with Iran against the Israeli aggression.”

Tawfiq Samadi, the charge d’affaires at the embassy, said that “any military action taken by Iran will be limited, targeted, gradual and proportionate to the threat.”

He said he “held the US responsible for its full support of Israel in its crimes against Iran. While it is not yet a direct party to the aggressions, continued US support for the actions of the Israeli entity will carry strategic and legal consequences.”

The head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, warned that an Israeli attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could trigger a “Chernobyl-style catastrophe.”

An Israeli military spokesperson initially claimed a strike on Bushehr, Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant, built by Russia. However, a military official later retracted the statement, calling it “a mistake” and refusing to confirm or deny an attack on the Gulf Coast facility. The uncertainty has heightened concerns about the plant’s safety.

Alexei Likhachev, head of Rosatom, emphasised the catastrophic risks of an attack on Bushehr’s operational unit, comparing it to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the world’s worst nuclear accident. “If there is a strike on the operational first power unit, it will be a catastrophe,” Likhachev told RIA. He described such an attack as “beyond… evil.”

Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev warned an Israeli strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant could trigger a ‘Chernobyl-style catastrophe’

Israel initially claimed it hit the site — then called that ‘a mistake’ and now won’t confirm or deny the strike#SPIEF pic.twitter.com/osDxnwJoQZ — RT (@RT_com) June 19, 2025

Russia has evacuated some specialists from Bushehr but retains a core workforce of hundreds, as President Vladimir Putin confirmed. Likhachev added, “We are prepared for any scenario, including the rapid evacuation of all our employees.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned attacks on civilian nuclear facilities as “unacceptable and illegal,” expressing concern for Russian workers at Bushehr. She warned the U.S. against military intervention, calling it “an extremely dangerous step with unpredictable consequences.”

Read: US Prepares for Potential Strike on Iran in Coming Days, Bloomberg Reports

Putin, addressing journalists, noted Israel’s assurance that Russian workers would remain safe, despite its efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear capabilities. He advocated for a diplomatic resolution, balancing Russia’s strategic ties with both Iran and Israel.

Open this photo in gallery: Satellite image shows the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, in Bushehr Province, Iran. Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters

Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities in its military campaign, but that it also wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is home to tens of millions of people and produces much of the world’s oil.

Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr on the Gulf coast – home to Iran’s only nuclear power station – only to later say the announcement was a mistake.

Below are details on the damage caused so far by Israel’s attacks, and what experts are saying about the risks of contamination and other disasters.

What nuclear sites has Israel targeted in Iran?

Israel has announced attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran building an atom bomb. Iran denies ever seeking one.

The international nuclear watchdog IAEA has reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, to the nuclear complex at Isfahan, including the Uranium Conversion Facility, and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran.

Analysis: Israel eyes the heart of Iran’s nuclear ambitions

Israel said on Wednesday it had targeted Arak, also known as Khondab, the location of a partially built heavy-water research reactor, a type that can easily produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb.

The IAEA said it had information that the Khondab heavy water research reactor had been hit, but that it was not operational and reported no radiological effects.

What is the risk of a nuclear disaster from the bombing of these sites?

Peter Bryant, a professor at the University of Liverpool in England who specialises in radiation protection science and nuclear energy policy, said he is not too concerned about fallout risks from the strikes so far.

He noted that the Arak site was not operational while the Natanz facility was underground and no release of radiation was reported. “The issue is controlling what has happened inside that facility, but nuclear facilities are designed for that,” he said. “Uranium is only dangerous if it gets physically inhaled or ingested or gets into the body at low enrichments,” he said.

Open this photo in gallery: A satellite image shows a partial view of the Iranian nuclear facility at Arak in central Iran. The Israeli army said on June 19 it had struck an “inactive nuclear reactor” in Arak-/AFP/Getty Images

Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at London think tank RUSI, said attacks on facilities at the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle – the stages where uranium is prepared for use in a reactor – pose primarily chemical, not radiological risks.

At enrichment facilities, UF6, or uranium hexafluoride, is the concern. “When UF6 interacts with water vapour in the air, it produces harmful chemicals,” she said.

The extent to which any material is dispersed would depend on factors including weather conditions, she added. “In low winds, much of the material can be expected to settle in the vicinity of the facility; in high winds, the material will travel farther, but is also likely to disperse more widely.”

The risk of dispersal is lower for underground facilities.

Russia has warned of a Chernobyl-style disaster if a nuclear reactor is hit. Is that a possibility?

The major concern would be a strike on Iran’s nuclear reactor at Bushehr.

Richard Wakeford, Honorary Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Manchester, said that while contamination from attacks on enrichment facilities would be “mainly a chemical problem” for the surrounding areas, extensive damage to large power reactors “is a different story”.

Radioactive elements would be released either through a plume of volatile materials or into the sea, he added.

The head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation warned on Thursday that an Israeli attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could lead to a “Chernobyl-style catastrophe.”

James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said an attack on Bushehr “could cause an absolute radiological catastrophe”, but that attacks on enrichment facilities were “unlikely to cause significant off-site consequences”.

The reality of Iran’s nuclear ambitions

Before uranium goes into a nuclear reactor it is barely radioactive, he said. “The chemical form uranium hexafluoride is toxic … but it actually doesn’t tend to travel large distances and it’s barely radioactive. So far the radiological consequences of Israel’s attacks have been virtually nil,” he added, while stating his opposition to Israel’s campaign.

Why are Gulf states worried?

For Gulf states, the impact of any strike on Bushehr would be worsened by the potential contamination of Gulf waters, jeopardizing a critical source of desalinated potable water.

In the UAE, desalinated water accounts for more than 80% of drinking water, while Bahrain became fully reliant on desalinated water in 2016, with 100% of groundwater reserved for contingency plans, according to authorities.

Qatar is 100% dependent on desalinated water.

In Saudi Arabia, a much larger nation with a greater reserve of natural groundwater, about 50% of the water supply came from desalinated water as of 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics.

While some Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates have access to more than one sea to draw water from, countries like Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait are crowded along the shoreline of the Gulf with no other coastline.

“If a natural disaster, oil spill, or even a targeted attack were to disrupt a desalination plant, hundreds of thousands could lose access to freshwater almost instantly,” said Nidal Hilal, Professor of Engineering and Director of New York University Abu Dhabi’s Water Research Center.

“Coastal desalination plants are especially vulnerable to regional hazards like oil spills and potential nuclear contamination,” he said.

With files from The Associated Press