Seismic miscalculation? Why Israel's strikes could end up pushing Tehran closer to the n-bomb
The trigger, perhaps, is the latest IAEA report published in May 2025. It confirmed that Iran has amassed more than 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60% U-235, plus thousands more enriched to lower levels. This stockpile is enough for up to nine nuclear weapons. The agency also reported that Iran has disabled key monitoring systems, refused access, and ceased implementing the Additional Protocol, making full verification impossible. The significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear-weapon State to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern.
This is the clearest nuclear breakout profile the world has seen in decades—and Israel decided it could wait no longer.
Israel's strikes went beyond nuclear weapons facilities. They have killed senior IRGC commanders and nuclear engineers and targeted oil and gas infrastructure. Destruction of the program in its entirety is likely beyond reach. Iran's nuclear sites are dispersed, fortified, and in some cases buried deep underground. So Israel is doing what it can–targeting centrifuges and research centres, and eliminating the human capital behind Iran's progress. It's a strategy of degradation, disruption, and demoralisation.
What sets this round of conflict apart is Israel's open psychological and political messaging. After the first wave of strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly addressed the Iranian people, saying, 'The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from the evil and oppressive regime.'
This is a call for uprising. While Israel officially denies that regime change is its objective, Netanyahu's words—combined with military actions targeting Iran's top command—make the message clear.
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Time of India
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Scroll.in
an hour ago
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