As Middle East conflict escalates, WHO prepares for 'nuclear incident’
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New Delhi: World Health Organisation regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Balkhy said the organisation is preparing for the possibility of a nuclear incident in the Middle East as the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict intensifies adding that it is reviewing protocols to deal with radiation exposure.
The report from Politico cited the top official warning that such a "nuclear incident" is the "worst-case scenario-something that worries us the most".
Health officials are also reviewing protocols to deal with radiation exposure, mass casualties, and long-term environmental damage, drawing on lessons from past nuclear disasters, according to the report, IANS reported.
Balkhy warned that the effects of a nuclear incident would extend far beyond the immediate conflict zone and could persist for decades.
"As much as we prepare, there's nothing that can prevent the harm that will come… the region's way and globally if this eventually happens and the consequences are going to last for decades,” she said.
WHO's warning holds relevance amid escalating strikes in the region, including attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and energy facilities, which international agencies warned could cause “a radiological incident” even if nuclear weapons are not used.
Meanwhile in US, Robert Kadlec, assistant secretary of defence for nuclear deterrence and chemical and biological defence, said US strategy had reached “a critical inflexion point”.
The United States faces an “unprecedented challenge” of deterring two nuclear peers at the same time, senior defence officials told lawmakers, as military leaders warned of growing threats from China and Russia across nuclear, missile, and space domains.
Kadlec also pressed for theatre-range nuclear options. “SLCM-N is one example,” he said. “It is essential and a vital tool for managing escalation in a conflict with a peer competitor.”
He called for acceleration of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, the Columbia-class submarine, the B-21 bomber, and the Long Range Stand Off cruise missile.