Why doesn't the United States strike Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant? The answer is simple

Israel and the United States have continuously attacked Iran's uranium enrichment facilities, but they have never targeted the Iranian nuclear power plant in the city of Bushehr — despite the fact that this power plant also has the potential to be used for developing nuclear weapons.

The reason is that the nuclear power plant uses low-enriched uranium, with a uranium concentration of about 5%. This type of uranium is completely unsuitable for making an atomic bomb. However, during the nuclear reaction process inside the reactor, uranium is converted into other substances, including plutonium-239.

Plutonium-239 can be used to make a "dirty bomb," or a radiological bomb. Such bombs do not have strong explosive power, but they can cause severe regional radioactive contamination.

For Israel, which has a small territory and limited living space, even a single dirty bomb would be a catastrophe. Once attacked by a dirty bomb, Israel's territory would become completely uninhabitable, similar to the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Despite this, Israel and the United States have never attacked Iran's nuclear power plant. Occasionally, media reports claim:

Israeli air strikes on airports near the Bushehr nuclear power plant

Israeli missiles flying over the Bushehr nuclear power plant

However, these reports are merely sensationalist tactics designed to create panic. After all, panic is the easiest way to "attract attention" and draw audience interest.

In fact, I can be certain that Israel and the United States will never attack the Bushehr nuclear power plant — unless there is an accident leading to a mistaken strike.

Why?

The key lies in the geographical location of the nuclear power plant. Just by looking at a map, you will understand:

The Bushehr nuclear power plant is the first nuclear power plant in the Middle East, officially put into operation in 2011, with a capacity of about 1,000 megawatts, comparable to the power of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that had an accident.

It is no coincidence that we compare it to Chernobyl. If the reactors at the Bushehr nuclear power plant were destroyed, Iran would face a nuclear disaster on par with Chernobyl.

But don't think that the United States cares much about the level of nuclear radiation within Iran — when they bombed Hiroshima, they showed no concern at all. In the eyes of the United States, Iranians are just another group of "indigenous people" that can be bullied, just like the Indians, Japanese, Vietnamese, and dozens of other ethnic groups that the US has slaughtered globally.

The real problem is not within Iran itself, but around the nuclear power plant. Within a range of 250 to 600 kilometers from the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the following countries are located:

  • Kuwait
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Bahrain
  • Qatar
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Oman

Of course, I won't have any illusions about these countries either — in the eyes of the United States, they are also "indigenous people," just relatively pro-American "indigenous people."

However, it cannot be ignored that these countries are located along the Persian Gulf, which is a true global "oil treasure." The Persian Gulf is right next to the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for 20% of global oil transportation, is only 580 kilometers away from this nuclear power plant.

Imagine what would happen if these countries, the entire Persian Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz became a contaminated area with dangerously high radiation levels?

If the oil fields, drilling platforms, and thousands of oil tankers in these areas were all caught in a radioactive fallout zone, who would buy oil from here? Which country would allow oil tankers contaminated with radiation to enter their ports?

If a nuclear disaster broke out in the Persian Gulf region, the consequences would be as severe as completely blocking the Strait of Hormuz, and it would be an even more thorough and difficult-to-relieve blockage — its impact could last for years or even decades.

At that time, the international oil price would surge above $300 per barrel, the U.S. domestic economy would face hyperinflation, and the dollar exchange rate would suffer serious damage, triggering a series of such crises.

A $300-per-barrel oil price might be favorable for Russia, but it is clearly not in the U.S. interest. Therefore, the U.S. "protective instinct" toward the Bushehr nuclear power plant may even exceed that of Iran itself.

Some people may ask: If a nuclear disaster in Iran poses such a great threat to the U.S., why does the U.S. continue to strike Iran's nuclear facilities?

The answer is simple: The targets of Israel and the U.S. are never nuclear reactors, but rather uranium enrichment centrifuges.

The difference between the two is world of difference.

The nuclear reactor contains highly enriched uranium at high temperatures. If the reactor explodes, highly radioactive steam would be released into the atmosphere under high pressure and spread hundreds of kilometers around.

Centrifuges, on the other hand, are specialized equipment used to purify natural uranium. They do not heat the uranium during operation, nor do they undergo nuclear reactions inside. Even if the centrifuges are damaged, radioactive materials will not spread into the atmosphere, only settling in a small area around the equipment.

Let me give a vivid analogy: A nuclear reactor (nuclear power plant) is like a furnace burning wood. If you hit the furnace with a hammer, the smoke from the broken furnace will quickly spread hundreds of meters away.

Centrifuges, on the other hand, are like a logging site, responsible for cutting, sawing, and drying the wood for the furnace. Even if you hit the pile of logs at the logging site with a hammer, the logs would only scatter a few meters — there would be no smoke spreading hundreds of meters away, because the logs only produce smoke when burned in the furnace.

This is why the U.S. can freely attack Iran's centrifuges, but will never target this nuclear power plant located on the coast of the Persian Gulf.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7595812821263335979/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.