Beyza Binnur Donmez
13 June 2025•Update: 13 June 2025
GENEVA
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) on Friday said Israel's airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities threaten to derail diplomatic efforts and risk triggering a broader regional conflict.
"Israel’s bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities is a dangerous escalation from a nuclear-armed state that threatens to thwart negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme," ICAN Executive Director Melissa Parke said in a statement.
Israel launched airstrikes early Friday targeting Iran's Natanz enrichment plant, ballistic missile factories, and nuclear scientists. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported no radiation leaks and confirmed the Bushehr plant was not hit.
The attack comes days before scheduled nuclear talks between the US and Iran, which Tehran has now suspended. "This dangerous escalation from a nuclear-armed state… risks a broader war further threatening civilian lives," ICAN said.
Israel, the only nuclear-armed country in the region, currently holds an estimated 90 nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists. ICAN estimates it spent over $1 billion on its nuclear program in 2024 alone.
"Israel and Iran must join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons without delay," Parke said. "This would require Israel to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme and Iran to maintain its current nuclear safeguards framework under IAEA oversight."
While Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons, recent IAEA reports confirm increased enrichment activity. ICAN argued that relying on nuclear weapons for security only increases global risk, and renewed efforts toward multilateral disarmament are essential.
"The 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons offers a path forward to reject these weapons once and for all, multilaterally, and in a verified manner," ICAN said.
