Israel's Attack on Iran Risks Nuclear War

Israel's preemptive attack on Iran is not a surprise—it is the first step to ongoing atrocity that risks nuclear war if we do not stop it immediately

This week the Israeli government preemptively attacked Iran. But it would be a mistake to assume Netanyahu’s unilateral decision to attack is something he just now concocted. Instead, this week is the culmination of more than three decades of disinformation from Netanyahu against Iran and other regional nations to expand his and Israel’s power. Disinformation that has led to mass destruction, devastation, and death of countless innocent people. And unless the United Nations truly stands United to uphold international human rights law and stop the Israeli government from continuing its attacks, we risk escalation into a global conflict. One that may culminate in the use of nuclear weapons. This is not hyperbole. It is a tragically viable reality based on the facts at hand that corporate media continues to ignore.

Let’s Address This.

The History

Since the 1990s, Netanyahu has been the world’s most persistent prophet of doom about Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions, repeatedly claiming “we are just months away” from an Iranian bomb. Yet he has never once been correct. As is well documented:

In 1992, when he was a 42-year-old Knesset member, Benjamin Netanyahu raised concerns about Iran's nuclear threat, stating, "Iran is close to producing a nuclear weapon within three to five years, and this threat needs to be uprooted by an international front led by the U.S." In 1995, in his book, he discussed Iran's nuclear threat and emphasized that it was a vital issue for Israel.

Overall, Netanyahu made these claims at least in 1992, in 1995, in 1996, in 2009, in 2012, again in 2015, and numerous times since then. Each time, his predictions were dead wrong. But Iran wasn’t his only target. Indeed, as you watch the clip below, note how Netanyahu seems to blanket label all nations in the Middle East as terror nations.

In 2002, Benjamin Netanyahu sat before the U.S. Congress and did something that has since defined the last two decades of global instability: he sold a war. “If you take out Saddam,” he said, “I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region.” Netanyahu went on to claim that dismantling Afghanistan, then Iraq, would then allow overtaking Iran as well.

History has shown that Netanyahu was wrong on every front. Without exception. Those “reverberations” he praised, as history has made painfully clear, included the deaths of hundreds of thousands Iraqis, the rise of Daesh (ISIS), the destabilization of Syria and Libya, and the displacement of tens of millions across the Middle East and North Africa. But that was always Netanyahu’s goal—it wasn’t peace, it was power. A landmark study in 2016 found that such wars have resulted in the preventable killing of more than 4 million Muslim civilians. Does this sound like justice and peace?

And if you think Netanyahu ever apologized for this catastrophic propaganda—one that cost trillions of dollars and shattered countless lives—think again. Instead, he has only doubled down and yet continues to double down with his latest preemptive attacks. His propaganda claims notwithstanding, Netanyahu exerted his power to vehemently oppose the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. Meanwhile, the actual experts—the IAEA, the world’s leading nuclear watchdog—confirmed that Iran was fully compliant with JCPOA. This included the requirement of complete transparency and access to their facilities for inspection and observation.

But Netanyahu opposed it anyway. And then he took it a step further.

Thanks to his lobbying and Donald Trump’s impulsive recklessness, the United States exited that deal in 2018. What followed? Iran’s nuclear program resumed. Tensions in the region escalated. And the progress made through diplomacy has now deteriorated under the threat of escalating war—all thanks to Netanyahu’s injustices.

The Present

At every moment over the last 30+ years, Netanyahu has taken every opportunity to spread disinformation about regional nations, advocated for war and violence including against civilians, and is now launching preemptive attacks against Iran. Now, with no regard for international law, Netanyahu has led Israel in a unilateral and preemptive military strike on Iran.

Let us be crystal clear about what this means: A sitting head of state, already charged by the International Criminal Court for war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, is now bombing another sovereign nation without provocation and with no credible justification. This is not self-defense. This is impunity in action. This is what happens when the international community turns a blind eye to genocide. When you let one atrocity go unanswered, you do not avoid conflict—you invite the next one.

Thus, we are here in this dire circumstance now for two reasons.

One, because for the past 20 months, the Israeli government has executed a genocidal siege on Gaza, killing by some estimates over 224,000 Palestinians—most of them women and children. They have deliberately bombed hospitals, schools, bakeries, and refugee camps. They’ve weaponized famine and deprived an entire population of food, water, and medicine. And they have faced zero consequences.

And two, for the last 30 years, Netanyahu has advocated (successfully) for more war and destruction in the region—and the United States has continued to arm him to do as he pleases. And he has faced zero consequences.

And the so-called international community? They’ve responded with toothless statements. With faux concern. With empty calls for restraint. All while continuing to ship billions in weapons to the very regime under ICC investigation for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Therefore, what Netanyahu has now done in attacking Iran preemptively is no surprise. It is the logical next step of a credibly accused war criminal who (while also facing corruption charges in Israel) has faced no consequences for his decades of injustices and disinformation. If we do not stop him now, we are endorsing a global doctrine of preemptive aggression by rogue states, and dismantling the post-WWII framework of international law. What, pray tell, is the substantive difference between Putin preemptively attacking Ukraine and Netanyahu preemptively attacking Iran? Both claim to do so under propagandized claims of self-defense.

And if we have learned nothing else from WWI and WWII, regional aggression quickly expands into global war and pulls in countless more nations. That is the fate we relegate ourselves to if we do not stop Netanyahu’s recklessness immediately.

Therefore, the United Nations, the ICC, the ICJ, and every nation that claims to value human rights must take swift and unified action. This means sanctions. This means investigations. This means prosecutions. This means stopping all arms sales to Israel until it complies with international law and ends the occupation and siege of Gaza, and stops preemptive attacks on Iran.

We desperately need diplomacy and accountability, not more destruction.

Media Complicity

Finally, corporate media must stop its complicity in whitewashing Netanyahu’s crimes and violations of international law. For example, over the last few days The New York Times has published the below grotesque excuses for journalism. Mid East History Phd and scholar Assal Rad posted these side-by-side comparisons of how the New York Times frames Israel’s preemptive attacks on Iran vs Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel.

Now, compare these above NYT headlines—which frame everything in defense of Israel’s justifications and Netanyahu’s legacy while wholly ignoring the devastation to Iranian civilians—with the below headlines, which fully humanize Israelis and demonizes Iran.

The UK Guardian added this indefensible headline to whitewash the Israeli government’s war crimes. Apparently, because Israel is also attacking Iran, Israel is somehow now less obligated to stop committing the war crime of genocide and starvation of Palestinians. Simply reckless.

And the New York Post went full propaganda, insinuating Iran initiated the attack, as opposed to the fact that Israel preemptively attacked Iran.

The above are just a snapshot of the full court press corporate media is engaging in to justify preemptive attacks by Israel against Iran. I am not Iranian, nor am I an Iran apologist—I am a human rights lawyer who upholds justice above all else. And the facts are clear that Israel is the aggressor and must be held accountable per international law. Consider the facts:

• Nuclear Weapons:

  • Iran does not have nuclear weapons—as attested to by the United States government even as recently as late March 2025.

  • Meanwhile, Israel does have up to 200 nuclear weapons.

• IAEA Inspections:

  • Despite not having nuclear weapons, Iran has repeatedly opened its facilities and its countries for inspection by the IAEA and consistently passed inspections.

  • Despite having hundreds of nuclear weapons, Israel refuses to open its facilities to the IAEA.

• NPT:

  • Despite not having nuclear weapons, Iran is a signatory to Treaty on Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT).

  • Despite having nuclear weapons, Israel refuses to sign the NPT.

• Iran Nuclear Deal:

  • Iran signed and fully abided by the Iran Nuclear Deal, as the IAEA confirmed.

  • Israel vehemently opposed the deal and worked to successfully convince the United States to unilaterally break the deal.

• First Strike and Proportionality:

  • Israel committed the first strike on Iran, which have killed more than 128 people, and injured more than 900, so far.

  • Iran has only conducted retaliatory strikes, which have killed 10 people, and injured around 100.

If the above five scenarios were reversed, we would unanimously, universally, unhesitatingly, and correctly recognize Iran as the instigator, the aggressor, and the one at fault. Yet, even though all of the above points to the Israeli government’s insistence on war over peace, crime over justice, and death over democracy—somehow they are the victim in all this. Does this make any sense to you?

Conclusion

To be clear, this week the IAEA ruled that Iran is in breach of it’s nuclear obligations—now after the United States government breached and broke the terms of the Iran Nuclear Deal. And meanwhile, the Israeli government remains far from the model example, given they still refuse to sign the NPT, still refuse to let IAEA inspectors evaluate Israel’s nuclear program, and still engaged in a preemptive strike on Iran.

So now, we have a nuclear powered rogue state in Israel launching preemptive attacks against Iran—after forcing the elimination of a nuclear deal that was working successfully to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. A deal that the Iranian government still committed to returning to in 2019, despite the U.S. breach, if the United States again committed—and the United States again refused. And thus in response, the Iranian government is now moving towards the potential of building a nuclear weapon. What else could this possibly lead to but nuclear war if not curtailed? A nuclear arms race is not the path to peace, it is quintessentially the path to global destruction. And that is what we face if we do not stop this escalation immediately.

For those seeking justice above war, the lesson is clear: when war criminals are not stopped, they escalate. When genocide is ignored, it spreads. And when nuclear non-proliferation deals are unilaterally breached by the United States, we cannot be surprised when the other party also refuses to abide by its terms.

Finally, this is a prime and painful example of why independent, people-powered human rights advocacy is more essential than ever. Corporate media has shown us, time and again, that it will bend to the will of the powerful and sanitize atrocity if it protects profits and access. But we do not have to accept that. In fact, we must reject it. We can demand justice. We can amplify the truth. We can hold war criminals accountable—if we stay organized, informed, and relentless. That’s what I aim to do with Let’s Address This. Therefore, if you find value in this work, I invite you to support it—by subscribing, by sharing, and by standing with me in this fight for truth over tyranny. Help me continue to provide real time, factually verified, and justice focused analysis on these key human rights issues that impact us all. Because the future of human rights depends on what we choose to do right now. And we must choose and elevate justice above all else.