By Prof. Dr. Taimoor ul Hassan

In a night lit by firestorms and fury, the United States and Israel crossed a line that no responsible state should ever cross. They bombed the nuclear facilities of a non-nuclear country, Iran, which has for over two decades adhered to international agreements, opened its doors to inspections, and committed itself to peaceful progress.

The recent strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure are more than military aggression. They represent a collapse of global diplomacy, and more dangerously, a complete failure of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, which was supposed to protect peace and offer security guarantees to non-nuclear states.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, in a firm and thoughtful response, said what many legal experts and independent observers are now thinking. The NPT has failed. It did not stop two nuclear states from attacking a non-nuclear one that has not only signed the treaty but also cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, and committed to peaceful nuclear development for civilian sectors like medicine, energy, health, and agriculture.

Iran has enriched uranium to 60 percent, which is 30 percent below the threshold needed for weapons. The country has spent more than 20 years in talks with the West, consistently denying any intention of developing a nuclear bomb. Still, it was attacked. No justification exists under international law for such a strike.

The Global Double Standard

The world is watching a disturbing pattern. A non-nuclear state that follows the rules gets punished. Nuclear states that ignore international law act with impunity. The Foreign Minister rightly asked, if the NPT cannot protect Iran, what is its purpose? Should the world not respond, not in the name of Iran alone, but in defense of a global order where treaties are not just empty words?

Of course, his call for global retaliation will likely fall on deaf ears. The world rarely moves to defend a country that is politically inconvenient, even when the legal and moral arguments are strong. Iran has not initiated any war, it has fought in defense, not aggression. Yet it is treated as the villain while its attackers are hailed as defenders of peace.

Trump’s Role and the Orwellian Language of War

One cannot ignore the role of Donald Trump, a leader whose decisions often defy logic and legality. Without the approval of the US Congress, he endorsed military strikes on Iran. He claimed they were necessary to protect American and regional interests, but the truth is more cynical. The strikes helped a crumbling Israeli Prime Minister gain political support at home as Iranian missiles rained down on Israeli cities in retaliation.

Trump’s language has long resembled the dystopian phrases coined by George Orwell. Phrases like “surgical strike” and “targeted deterrence” mask the truth. These were acts of war. They were illegal under international law and unnecessary under any rational strategic doctrine.

Arab Complicity and Silence

What makes this situation worse is the silence and complicity of several Arab states. Reports confirm that airspace in the region was opened for US and Israeli aircraft. The same states that issue statements of solidarity with Palestine allowed attacks against Iran. This is not neutrality. It is betrayal.

Their silence signals a deeper crisis in the Muslim world. The Arab leadership, in its desire to please Western powers, has compromised regional sovereignty. While Gaza bleeds and Jerusalem cries, some Arab capitals are busy normalizing ties and doing military business with those responsible.

Iran’s Narrow Options

With diplomacy proving weak, Iran is now left with limited and dangerous options. It can:

– Close the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for the world’s oil supply
– Activate regional allies like Hezbollah, the Houthis, and resistance networks in Iraq and Syria
– Launch cyberattacks against strategic Western and Israeli systems
– Disrupt US military bases in the Gulf region

Each option carries risk. But after being bombed despite following the rules, Iran may feel it has little left to lose.

A Treaty for the Weak

The NPT was created to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. In return, non-nuclear states were promised security and support for peaceful nuclear technology. Iran believed in that promise. It signed the treaty, hosted inspectors, endured sanctions, and waited for fairness. What did it receive in return? Attacks, assassinations of its scientists, sabotage, and now open military strikes.

The message from Washington and Tel Aviv is loud and dangerous. Only those who possess nuclear weapons are safe. This destroys the core of the NPT and encourages countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea to pursue their own nuclear capabilities. The idea of non-proliferation dies the moment peaceful nations are bombed with impunity.

The Global Response and the Risk of Unipolarity

So far, Russia and China have issued verbal condemnations. That is not enough. If they do not move beyond statements and start acting decisively in international forums and alliances, the world will return to an unstable and unjust unipolar order, ruled by an unpredictable superpower. And that power, for now, is led by a man like Trump.

Donald Trump has shown a dangerous pattern. He ignores treaties, undermines institutions, disrespects norms, and treats foreign policy like a TV drama. He has the arrogance to push the world into large-scale conflict. The risk is not theoretical. It is real. He is capable of leading the world into disaster. And the world must recognize this before it is too late.

The Moral Failure of International Institutions

The UN Security Council did nothing. The International Criminal Court remained silent. The European Union issued weak statements. No sanctions have been proposed against the attackers. If this is the global response to such a blatant violation of international law, why should any country trust these institutions?

What happened to Iran can happen to any state. Today it is Iran, tomorrow it could be North Korea, then perhaps Venezuela or even Turkey. The principle has been broken. The legal precedent is terrifying.

Conclusion: Retaliation is Not Only Iran’s Right, It Is the World’s Duty

Iran has been attacked not for building bombs, but for refusing to surrender its independence. It followed international law and paid the price. This is not just about Iran. It is about a world where the rules are written by the powerful and applied only to the weak.

The time for verbal condemnation is over. Countries that care about international law must act, diplomatically, economically, and politically, to stop further escalation and to restore the meaning of treaties like the NPT. If they fail, the world will enter an era of nuclear apartheid, where some bomb freely and others bleed in silence.

Iran may retaliate. It has every right to. But if the world wants to avoid chaos, it must step up. Not in the name of Iran alone, but in defense of global justice and balance. A new global order cannot be built on the ruins of broken treaties, forgotten promises, and bombs disguised as peace.

Let this moment be a turning point. Or let it be remembered as the day the world lost its moral compass.