It exacerbates regional instability, puts civilians at risk, and accelerates nuclear proliferation
The recent massive attack launched by the United States and Israel against Iran marks an alarming turning point for stability in the Middle East and for the already weakened international order.
It is presented as an action intended to curb Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program; however, according to international agencies—and according to previous statements by the US government itself—such a program is not currently active. The official narrative is crumbling, revealing a deeper motivation: the pursuit of regime change.
A blow to international law and multilateralism
The unilateral use of force outside the United Nations Charter erodes the norms that underpin collective security. The attack highlights a double standard that is difficult to ignore: two nuclear-armed powers attack a state that does not possess nuclear weapons, just as diplomatic negotiations were underway to address concerns about its nuclear program.
This ongoing episode raises a disturbing question:
If military force can prevail over diplomacy, what real value does dialogue retain?
Beyond strategic rhetoric, the central tragedy is human
This escalation threatens to trigger a major regional conflict, putting the lives of millions of people at immediate risk. Families in the Middle East are once again facing the terror of bombing, forced displacement, and ongoing uncertainty. Once again, civilian lives are subordinated to the power plays of world leaders, and the right to live without fear becomes an increasingly distant ideal.
The illusion of security and the drive toward nuclear proliferation
History shows that coercion and military strikes do not curb nuclear proliferation; they accelerate it. The doctrine of nuclear deterrence—presented as a guarantor of stability—is, in reality, a perpetual threat that encourages other states to seek their own arsenal to avoid being vulnerable. The idea that there are “responsible” powers capable of safely managing the power of total destruction is a myth that perpetuates global insecurity and increases the risk of catastrophic miscalculation.
Military action will never be a sustainable solution to prevent proliferation. The only effective way forward is to strengthen international treaties and explicitly reject nuclear deterrence as a security strategy. In this regard, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) offers a clear and multilateral roadmap for moving toward the total elimination of these weapons of mass destruction.
We must break our complacency in the face of nuclear terror. Humanity cannot continue to accept the existence of arsenals capable of destroying it. No country should possess nuclear weapons. The only way to guarantee global security is to make their very existence a moral, political, and legal taboo: something unacceptable, intolerable, and contrary to any vision of the future.
