Nuclear strike on Iran: Could radiation reach our borders?

Amid discussions about a possible US nuclear strike on Iran, concerns have emerged in Iraq that radioactive fallout could cross the border and contaminate rivers, soil and water resources.

TodayPress TV reports that the information was published by “Shafaq News”.

Iraqi security expert Ahmed al-Sharifi said that if Iran’s nuclear facilities were targeted, radioactive materials could reach Iraq via the wind and contaminate its water and soil resources.

Concerns have grown after Iranian state television issued public safety instructions on how to protect against a potential nuclear explosion.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that one or two Iranian facilities, including the Pickaxe Mountain facility near Natanz, should be targeted.

However, Iraq’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission believes the potential threat is not high. The commission’s spokesperson, Ahmed Khudair Kazim, said the facilities are located approximately 700 kilometres from Iraq’s border and that mountainous terrain and seasonal winds could limit the spread of radioactive materials into the country.

It should be noted that in June 2025, the United States and Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. At the time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported no increase in radiation levels outside the facilities. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, however, warned that an attack on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant could pose a serious risk of radioactive contamination across the entire region.

Saleh al-Qazwini, a researcher on Iranian affairs, also stressed that the consequences of a potential nuclear attack would not be limited to Iran but would pose a threat to the entire region.

Zehra Mammadova