Nascent Yemen

In the early hours of June 13, 2025, the zion*st entity launched a wide-scale military assault on Iran, targeting nuclear facilities and military sites in an operation that stunned the world. Among the victims of what many describe as a brutal and deliberate attack were senior Iranian officials and renowned nuclear scientists, including Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a leading plasma physicist. This aggression marks not only a dangerous military escalation, but also highlights a deeper hypocrisy at the heart of international nuclear politics.

Iran’s right to enrich: a legal framework
Iran, a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), has long maintained its right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, consistently stating that uranium enrichment is of civilian nature. Tehran also granted access to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections.

Despite the absence of any concrete evidence suggesting Iran was developing a weapons program in recent years, the United States and the Israeli entity continuously vilified Iran’s nuclear development, using it to justify sabotage, sanctions, and now open war. The contradiction is clear: Iran is sanctioned and attacked for a legal activity while being monitored under international law, whereas Israel, which has refused to sign The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), operates freely in total secrecy.

Nuclear ambiguity: the Israeli entity’s shield
Israel has always maintained a policy of “nuclear ambiguity,” refusing to confirm or deny the existence of its nuclear arsenal. Yet, estimates from independent institutions such as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Federation of American Scientists indicate that Israel holds 80 to 90 nuclear warheads, developed in total defiance of international norms, and with early support from France in the 1950s.

The contradiction is clear: Iran is sanctioned and attacked for a legal activity while being monitored under international law, whereas Israel, which has refused to sign The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), operates freely in total secrecy.

Unlike Iran, Israel is not a party to the NPT, and therefore not subject to international inspections, oversight, or accountability. The

Dimona nuclear reactor remains off-limits to inspections, and operates under complete secrecy. The first major revelations about Israel’s” nuclear capacity came from whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, who exposed the scope of the program in 1986, and was later kidnapped and imprisoned by Israeli intelligence.

Despite global calls for transparency, Israel continues to avoid scrutiny. Its undeclared nuclear arsenal is considered a cornerstone of its military deterrent, even as it enforces strict counter-proliferation policies in the region.

Preventive strikes and the Begin doctrine
The recent Israeli attacks on Iranian facilities follow the so-called Begin doctrine, Israel’s long-standing of preventative strikes against any regional actor developing nuclear capabilities.

This doctrine was put into action in three distinct operations: the 1981 Operation Opera when the Israeli Air Force bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor; the 2007 Operation Orchard when Israel targeted and destroyed Syria’s al-Kibar nuclear facility; and the 2010’s Stuxnet cyberattack, the sabotaging of Iranian nuclear centrifuges at Natanz.

The latest aggression against Iran reinforces Israel’s self-appointed role as the regional nuclear gatekeeper.

Washington’s strategic approval
The United States, a long-time ally of Israel and an NPT signatory, plays a complicated role in this nuclear narrative. While leading diplomatic efforts with Iran, most notably the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under the Obama administration, and the most recent ones during the previous Trump administration, with Oman acting as a mediator, Washington has simultaneously backed Israeli operations undermining those same agreements. The US’ silence on Israel’s nuclear program, even as it lambasts Iran’s enrichment activities, reveals a deep-seated double standard.

Nuclear-armed nations often attempt to preserve their dominance by denying similar capabilities to others, even when those others are pursuing peaceful programs under international law. This creates an illusion of threat, fueling regional instability and eroding global norms of equity and transparency.

A rulebook written by violence and violations
The Israeli entity’s most recent strike on Iran is more than a military maneuver, it is a symbol of how power can redefine the rules of international conduct. While some states are sanctioned simply for asserting rights guaranteed by international laws, others, like Israel – backed by the United States – remain above the law. The principles of non-proliferation and sovereign equality will remain nothing but rhetoric, as long as the world silently accepts this double-standard approach, and a nuclear dominance that is preserved through violence and violations.

Al Akhbar report