A large-scale US nuclear strike on Iran could trigger a catastrophe extending far beyond the country’s borders, endangering neighboring states, including Israel. The risk to Washington’s own allies makes such an attack unlikely, Konstantin Blokhin, a political analyst specializing in American affairs and a leading research fellow at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told NEWS.ru.

Blokhin warned that a powerful nuclear explosion could send a radioactive cloud across national borders, exposing countries surrounding Iran to serious danger. He drew a parallel with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, when radioactive material spread across much of Europe. According to the analyst, US authorities are well aware of the consequences such an operation could have for their partners. He argued that Washington would have launched an attack long ago if it had been able to pursue that option.

Nevertheless, Blokhin did not rule out the possibility of American forces using nuclear weapons against Tehran. He suggested that the United States could instead carry out a more limited operation, deploying nuclear-armed bombs to strike specific Iranian infrastructure facilities. The expert believes Washington could ultimately choose this approach.

Blokhin also addressed remarks by American journalist Tucker Carlson, who had raised the prospect of a nuclear attack on Iran. In the analyst’s interpretation, Carlson was referring to a far more devastating military operation, potentially producing destruction comparable to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.