Concerns are growing in the Persian Gulf states about the potential for environmental pollution and retaliatory attacks in the event of a possible U.S. or Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Countries in the region are stepping up their preparations to counter these potential threats.
Rising Alert Level in Gulf Countries
In Oman, advice is being distributed to the public via messaging apps on what to do in the event of a nuclear incident. The instructions tell residents to “enter a closed and secure indoor space (preferably windowless), tightly close all windows and doors, and turn off air conditioning and ventilation systems.”
Bahrain's state news agency said on Tuesday that 33 shelters in the country were prepared for emergencies and that sirens were being tested across the country. As concerns about nuclear fallout have grown significantly in the past week, news organizations in the Middle East have also begun publishing guidelines on how to deal with radiation leaks.
Elham Fakhro, a Bahraini citizen and fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative, said people are “absolutely concerned” about the possibility of an Israeli or U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant, in Bushehr, is geographically closer to many Arab capitals allied with the U.S. than to Tehran.
Possible Scenarios and Serious Consequences
Fakhro said the primary concerns include “fears of environmental pollution, especially in shared waters.” Other concerns include “the possibility of Iranian retaliation against U.S. military facilities in the Gulf states that could affect civilians and the closure of airspace for an extended period.”
An economic and political bloc consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)The Kuwaiti-based Emergency Management Center was activated on Monday to ensure that “all necessary preventive measures are taken at the environmental and radiological levels.”
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed warned of “the risks of reckless and miscalculated actions that could extend beyond the borders of Iran and Israel,” while a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman also drew attention to “uncalculated” attacks that could affect the Gulf states’ waters.
About 60 million people in the Gulf Arab states depend on desalinated seawater from the Persian Gulf for drinking, washing and other uses. Regional leaders say potential pollution from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could pose a threat to this critical water source if it comes under attack. could have serious environmental consequences warns about.
In March, when US journalist Tucker Carlson asked Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani what would happen if the Bushehr nuclear power plant was “exploded,” Al Thani gave a striking response: “(The water) will be completely polluted… No water, no fish, no nothing, no life.”
These deep concerns in the region make it clear that a potential military intervention could have far-reaching consequences that could threaten not only the target country but the entire Gulf region and human life.
