Strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites highlight the US peace paradox

The US-led strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities under Operation Midnight Hammer on Sunday ushered the Middle East into a new and dangerous phase of instability.

Media reports said in an 18-hour classified operation, B-2 stealth bombers dropped more than 75 precision-guided munitions — including 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators — on Iran’s most fortified nuclear sites.

While President Trump claims to have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the long-term fallout — political, humanitarian, and strategic — may be far more damaging than any short-term military success.

Despite the absence of confirmed radiation leaks, as verified by both the IAEA and regional monitoring agencies, the psychological and geopolitical aftershocks are profound.

Iran has retaliated with missile strikes against Israel, escalating an already volatile regional environment. The Israeli response, further targeting Iranian military assets, risks spiralling into a broader regional war.

What is most alarming, however, is the clear violation of international norms.

The UN Charter unequivocally prohibits unilateral military action unless in self-defence or with Security Council authorisation. No such mandate was given.

This strike, undertaken without international consensus, undermines the very principles of multilateralism and collective security that the post-war global order rests upon.

Moreover, the justification offered — that diplomacy had been “exhausted” — rings hollow. Trump’s so-called “fortnight of diplomacy” was brief, performative, and ultimately abandoned in favour of hard power.

The absence of transparent negotiations, coupled with the timing of the attack, suggests that diplomacy was never given a genuine chance.

The consequences of this assault may echo for years. Iran’s pivot toward Moscow and calls for regional alliances hint at a reorientation of Middle Eastern power dynamics.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has already denounced the strikes, and even traditional Western allies like France and the UK have urged de-escalation.

China’s stern condemnation further illustrates how this act may deepen East-West divides.

We condemn all controversial nuclear activities worldwide. We firmly believe that military unilateralism cannot replace the slow, patient work of diplomacy.

By launching Operation Midnight Hammer, the United States has taken a reckless gamble — one that risks igniting a conflict far beyond its intended scope.

The world must now act swiftly to prevent a chain reaction of violence, and to re-centre diplomacy as the only path to sustainable peace.