Latest news with #AimenDean
Scottish Sun
12-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
I was MI6 spy inside Al Qaeda – I'm haunted by 9/11 tip that came too late… but I saved thousands from another attack
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHILE thousands have suffered from Al Qaeda's brutality, few understand its inner workings as well as Aimen Dean, a former operative turned British spy. From 9/11 to London's 7/7 attacks, the terrorist group is linked with some of the most vicious atrocities of the 21st century. 10 Aimen Dean was MI6's top spy inside Al Qaeda Credit: BBC 10 Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 Credit: Getty 10 Al Qaeda were linked to the 7/7 attack on London Credit: PA:Press Association 10 Aimen with older brother at their home in Saudi Arabia Credit: Supplied / Aimen Dean The dad-of-one was 17 when he met Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, which killed almost 3,000 civilians. He had just emerged from a year battling the Serbs in the Bosnian war, where he was exposed to "charred remains, mutilated bodies, and mass graves". Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Aimen revealed he was lured in by the promise of fighting a 'villainous' America who he blamed for the lengthy war. But he turned on them when he saw the true face of the terror group - appalled by how they would indiscriminately slaughter civilians. Aimen was speaking to us as this week Britain marked 20 years since 7/7 - where 52 people were killed and 784 as bombs went off across the London Underground and on a bus. 'He was so convincing, he was so eloquent that I believed what I now know were delusions," he said. 'Kill or be killed' Aged 18, Aimen travelled to a secluded mountainous spot in Afghanistan where he would spend the next 11 months learning how to build bombs. As a self-confessed bookworm and "nerd", the intellectual rigour and mathematical precision required for bomb making proved an exciting - albeit risky - endeavour for the teenager. 'I remember thinking this is so much fun, why didn't they teach chemistry like this at school?' he said. Joined by three other men - including Moez Fezzani, now an ISIS leader in Libya - he spent his days mixing highly toxic chemicals under the watchful leadership of vengeful chemist and terror mastermind Abu Khabab. Inside 7/7 The story behind Britain's worst ever terror attack Khabab was in charge of developing Al Qaeda's mass-casualty weapons and was linked to a series of terror plots before being killed in a CIA drone strike in 2008. Outside of building bombs, the group spent their time debating and listening to the radio. "We would just sit down and discuss everything endlessly. We would talk about what is wrong with the world. "We would reinforce each other's negative views and talk about the need for change and how this could only come if we tear the system down," Aimen recalled. With just a mattress on the floor to sleep on and little else but books to keep him occupied, the bunker was basic at best. I remember thinking this is so much fun, why didn't they teach chemistry like this at school? Aimen Dean Bombs and extremely toxic chemicals were stored in wooden shelves, which Aimen joked would have given any British health and safety inspector a heart attack. He said: 'We were dealing with chemicals all the time so they gave us lots of fruit to build up our resilience.' 'Khabab told us that your first mistake is your last mistake. He had two missing fingers to which I said, well you are testament of living to make another mistake. 'He said: 'it's idiots who came before you who did this. They are no longer here anymore - I was just collateral damage'". Your first mistake is your last mistake Terror leader, Abu Khabab But just under a year after Aimen joined the terror group, his life took a drastic turn when news of a suicide bomb attack in East Africa upended his views and beliefs. The devastating assault on U.S embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Tanzania resulted in 200 deaths and an estimated 4,000 wounded. According to Aimen, some 150 civilians were also blinded because the vans were 'loaded with shrapnel' to maximise death and destruction. 10 Aimen Dean was 17 when he met Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, pictured, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks Credit: AP 10 Firemen walk amid the smouldering rubble of the World Trade Center following 9/11 Credit: AFP New beginnings 'This is when I started to have doubts and I realised things were going in the wrong direction. "I realised it was about making gas canisters full of hydrogen cyanide to attack nightclubs and cinemas,' he said. 'My good moral compass and critical thinking kicked in. "I thought, what if I build something for someone that is then used on civilians? I disagreed completely with this," he added. When he raised his concerns with Khaleb, the terror leader replied: 'The world is not the Disney movies that you watch. "This is a jungle. Kill or be killed. The world only respects one language: terror.' Feigning sickness, Aimen was sent to Qatar where he renounced his oath to the terror group and decided he would never go back. I started to have doubts and I realised things were going in the wrong direction Aimen Dean Arriving in the country, he was questioned by security services as a suspected Al-Qaeda member. He cooperated by giving them a number he had memorised for an Al-Qaeda bank account. Delighted at having landed on an treasure trove of intelligence, the Qataris offered him the choice of being handed over to America, France or Britain. 'I felt little cultural affinity with the French and didn't speak the language. And I didn't trust the Americans either," said Aimen. Within nine days he had 'landed in the lap' of MI5, who he said enthusiastically whisked him back to the UK after quickly recognising his impressive knack for map reading and photographic memory. Arriving in the UK, he was offered a Coca-Cola which he tried for the first time (now, his favourite drink) and a Harry Potter book. The next six months were filled with long training days and getting to grips with English before being sent to live in a flat with an Al Qaeda operative in London. 10 Osama bin-Laden addresses a news conference in Afghanistan on May 26, 1998 Credit: Reuters 10 Aimen worked for the MI5 and MI6 for eight years, becoming one of the secret service's most audacious spies Credit: Supplied / Aimen Dean On becoming an informant for the British Secret Intelligence Service he said the best piece of advice he received was to just 'go and have fun'. During this time, Aimen hopped between homes and became close with his roommates by leaning on his superior intellect and offering them religious guidance. He said: 'I am generally theologically better trained than the average Al Qaeda person so I ended up being kind of like a spiritual coach. "It's a bit brutal but it means they will open their hearts and minds to me, which made my espionage much easier.' It wasn't long before Aimen was asked if we would go back to Afghanistan and acquire intelligence for the MI6. This is a jungle - kill or be killed. The world only respects one language: terror Abu Khabab After rigorous training, he returned to the Middle East pretending his return was so he could get back in touch with his spirituality. He spent the next eight years spying for MI5 and MI6, becoming one of the secret service's most audacious spies. When asked about any close calls, he told The Times about a period in 2001, when he was called to meet one of bin Laden's closest lieutenants. He feared they had clocked on but was instead asked to deliver a message to four "brothers" in London, instructing them to "leave the country". The message read: "They must leave the country and come here before September 1. Something big is going to happen and we expect the Americans to come to Afghanistan." Aimen was walking along Oxford street later that year when he learned of the terror attack on America's Twin Towers and remembered those haunting words: "something big". Not long after, he caught wind of a worrying plot engineered by his former leader Khabab to bomb the New York Subway. Thanks to Aimen's tip, news of the planned attack was passed to the Oval office and successfully foiled. When asked about any close calls, he recalled the time he was cooking at the military camp and suddenly felt the cold end of a pistol against his lower spine. "Someone said, that's it confess, we know who you are. We know who you are working with," he said. His thorough training had taught him how to detect a bluff, so he held his nerve. It later transpired the incident was a routine test. Did he ever feel scared? Nervous, yes, he said. But the trick is to always "forget you're spying". 10 Aimen has a brilliant photographic memory which he owes to hours spent reading growing up Credit: Supplied / Aimen Dean
The Sun
12-07-2025
- The Sun
I was MI6 spy inside Al Qaeda – I'm haunted by 9/11 tip that came too late… but I saved thousands from another attack
WHILE thousands have suffered from Al Qaeda's brutality, few understand its inner workings as well as Aimen Dean, a former operative turned British spy. From 9/11 to London's 7/7 attacks, the terrorist group is linked with some of the most vicious atrocities of the 21st century. 10 10 10 10 The dad-of-one was 17 when he met Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, which killed almost 3,000 civilians. He had just emerged from a year battling the Serbs in the Bosnian war, where he was exposed to "charred remains, mutilated bodies, and mass graves". Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Aimen revealed he was lured in by the promise of fighting a 'villainous' America who he blamed for the lengthy war. But he turned on them when he saw the true face of the terror group - appalled by how they would indiscriminately slaughter civilians. Aimen was speaking to us as this week Britain marked 20 years since 7/7 - where 52 people were killed and 784 as bombs went off across the London Underground and on a bus. 'He was so convincing, he was so eloquent that I believed what I now know were delusions," he said. 'Kill or be killed' Aged 18, Aimen travelled to a secluded mountainous spot in Afghanistan where he would spend the next 11 months learning how to build bombs. As a self-confessed bookworm and "nerd", the intellectual rigour and mathematical precision required for bomb making proved an exciting - albeit risky - endeavour for the teenager. 'I remember thinking this is so much fun, why didn't they teach chemistry like this at school?' he said. Joined by three other men - including Moez Fezzani, now an ISIS leader in Libya - he spent his days mixing highly toxic chemicals under the watchful leadership of vengeful chemist and terror mastermind Abu Khabab. Inside 7/7 The story behind Britain's worst ever terror attack Khabab was in charge of developing Al Qaeda's mass-casualty weapons and was linked to a series of terror plots before being killed in a CIA drone strike in 2008. Outside of building bombs, the group spent their time debating and listening to the radio. "We would just sit down and discuss everything endlessly. We would talk about what is wrong with the world. "We would reinforce each other's negative views and talk about the need for change and how this could only come if we tear the system down," Aimen recalled. With just a mattress on the floor to sleep on and little else but books to keep him occupied, the bunker was basic at best. Bombs and extremely toxic chemicals were stored in wooden shelves, which Aimen joked would have given any British health and safety inspector a heart attack. He said: 'We were dealing with chemicals all the time so they gave us lots of fruit to build up our resilience.' 'Khabab told us that your first mistake is your last mistake. He had two missing fingers to which I said, well you are testament of living to make another mistake. 'He said: 'it's idiots who came before you who did this. They are no longer here anymore - I was just collateral damage'". But just under a year after Aimen joined the terror group, his life took a drastic turn when news of a suicide bomb attack in East Africa upended his views and beliefs. The devastating assault on U.S embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Tanzania resulted in 200 deaths and an estimated 4,000 wounded. According to Aimen, some 150 civilians were also blinded because the vans were 'loaded with shrapnel' to maximise death and destruction. 10 New beginnings 'This is when I started to have doubts and I realised things were going in the wrong direction. "I realised it was about making gas canisters full of hydrogen cyanide to attack nightclubs and cinemas,' he said. 'My good moral compass and critical thinking kicked in. "I thought, what if I build something for someone that is then used on civilians? I disagreed completely with this," he added. When he raised his concerns with Khaleb, the terror leader replied: 'The world is not the Disney movies that you watch. "This is a jungle. Kill or be killed. The world only respects one language: terror.' Feigning sickness, Aimen was sent to Qatar where he renounced his oath to the terror group and decided he would never go back. Arriving in the country, he was questioned by security services as a suspected Al-Qaeda member. He cooperated by giving them a number he had memorised for an Al-Qaeda bank account. Delighted at having landed on an treasure trove of intelligence, the Qataris offered him the choice of being handed over to America, France or Britain. 'I felt little cultural affinity with the French and didn't speak the language. And I didn't trust the Americans either," said Aimen. Within nine days he had 'landed in the lap' of MI5, who he said enthusiastically whisked him back to the UK after quickly recognising his impressive knack for map reading and photographic memory. Arriving in the UK, he was offered a Coca-Cola which he tried for the first time (now, his favourite drink) and a Harry Potter book. The next six months were filled with long training days and getting to grips with English before being sent to live in a flat with an Al Qaeda operative in London. 10 On becoming an informant for the British Secret Intelligence Service he said the best piece of advice he received was to just 'go and have fun'. During this time, Aimen hopped between homes and became close with his roommates by leaning on his superior intellect and offering them religious guidance. He said: 'I am generally theologically better trained than the average Al Qaeda person so I ended up being kind of like a spiritual coach. "It's a bit brutal but it means they will open their hearts and minds to me, which made my espionage much easier.' It wasn't long before Aimen was asked if we would go back to Afghanistan and acquire intelligence for the MI6. After rigorous training, he returned to the Middle East pretending his return was so he could get back in touch with his spirituality. He spent the next eight years spying for MI5 and MI6, becoming one of the secret service's most audacious spies. When asked about any close calls, he told The Times about a period in 2001, when he was called to meet one of bin Laden's closest lieutenants. He feared they had clocked on but was instead asked to deliver a message to four "brothers" in London, instructing them to "leave the country". The message read: "They must leave the country and come here before September 1. Something big is going to happen and we expect the Americans to come to Afghanistan." Aimen was walking along Oxford street later that year when he learned of the terror attack on America's Twin Towers and remembered those haunting words: "something big". Not long after, he caught wind of a worrying plot engineered by his former leader Khabab to bomb the New York Subway. Thanks to Aimen's tip, news of the planned attack was passed to the Oval office and successfully foiled. When asked about any close calls, he recalled the time he was cooking at the military camp and suddenly felt the cold end of a pistol against his lower spine. "Someone said, that's it confess, we know who you are. We know who you are working with," he said. His thorough training had taught him how to detect a bluff, so he held his nerve. It later transpired the incident was a routine test. Did he ever feel scared? Nervous, yes, he said. But the trick is to always "forget you're spying". 10
The Irish Sun
12-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
I was MI6 spy inside Al Qaeda – I'm haunted by 9/11 tip that came too late… but I saved thousands from another attack
WHILE thousands have suffered from Al Qaeda's brutality, few understand its inner workings as well as Aimen Dean, a former operative turned British spy. From 9/11 to London's 7/7 attacks, the terrorist group is linked with some of the most vicious atrocities of the 21st century. 10 Aimen Dean was MI6's top spy inside Al Qaeda Credit: BBC 10 Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 Credit: Getty 10 Al Qaeda were linked to the 7/7 attack on London Credit: PA:Press Association 10 Aimen with older brother at their home in Saudi Arabia Credit: Supplied / Aimen Dean The dad-of-one was 17 when he met Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, which killed almost 3,000 civilians. He had just emerged from a year battling the Serbs in the Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Aimen revealed he was lured in by the promise of fighting a 'villainous' America who he blamed for the lengthy war. But he turned on them when he saw the true face of the terror group - appalled by how they would indiscriminately slaughter civilians. Read more on World Aimen was speaking to us as this week 'He was so convincing, he was so eloquent that I believed what I now know were delusions," he said. 'Kill or be killed' Aged 18, Aimen travelled to a secluded mountainous spot in next 11 months learning how to build bombs. As a self-confessed bookworm and "nerd", the intellectual rigour and mathematical precision required for bomb making proved an exciting - albeit risky - endeavour for the teenager. Most read in The Sun 'I remember thinking this is so much fun, why didn't they teach chemistry like this at school?' he said. Joined by three other men - including Moez Fezzani, now an ISIS leader in Libya - he spent his days mixing highly toxic chemicals under the watchful leadership of vengeful chemist and terror mastermind Abu Khabab. Inside 7/7 The story behind Britain's worst ever terror attack Khabab was in charge of developing Al Qaeda's mass-casualty weapons and was linked to a series of Outside of building bombs, the group spent their time debating and listening to the radio. "We would just sit down and discuss everything endlessly. We would talk about what is wrong with the world. "We would reinforce each other's negative views and talk about the need for change and how this could only come if we tear the system down," Aimen recalled. With just a mattress on the floor to sleep on and little else but books to keep him occupied, the bunker was basic at best. I remember thinking this is so much fun, why didn't they teach chemistry like this at school? Aimen Dean Bombs and extremely toxic chemicals were stored in wooden shelves, which Aimen joked would have given any British health and safety inspector a heart attack. He said: 'We were dealing with chemicals all the time so they gave us lots of fruit to build up our resilience.' 'Khabab told us that your first mistake is your last mistake. He had two missing fingers to which I said, well you are testament of living to make another mistake. 'He said: 'it's idiots who came before you who did this. They are no longer here anymore - I was just collateral damage'". Your first mistake is your last mistake Terror leader, Abu Khabab But just under a year after Aimen joined the The devastating assault on U.S embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Tanzania resulted in 200 deaths and an estimated 4,000 wounded. According to Aimen, some 150 civilians were also blinded because the vans were 'loaded with shrapnel' to maximise death and destruction. 10 Aimen Dean was 17 when he met Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, pictured, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks Credit: AP 10 Firemen walk amid the smouldering rubble of the World Trade Center following 9/11 Credit: AFP New beginnings 'This is when I started to have doubts and I realised things were going in the wrong direction. "I realised it was about making gas canisters full of hydrogen cyanide to attack nightclubs and cinemas,' he said. 'My good moral compass and critical thinking kicked in. "I thought, what if I build something for someone that is then used on civilians? I disagreed completely with this," he added. When he raised his concerns with Khaleb, the "This is a jungle. Kill or be killed. The world only respects one language: terror.' Feigning sickness, Aimen was sent to Qatar where he renounced his oath to the terror group and decided he would never go back. I started to have doubts and I realised things were going in the wrong direction Aimen Dean Arriving in the country, he was questioned by security services as a suspected Al-Qaeda member. He cooperated by giving them a number he had memorised for an Al-Qaeda bank account. Delighted at having landed on an treasure trove of intelligence, the Qataris offered him the choice of being handed over to America, 'I felt little cultural affinity with the French and didn't speak the language. And I didn't trust the Americans either," said Aimen. Within nine days he had 'landed in the lap' of MI5, who he said enthusiastically whisked him back to the UK after quickly recognising his impressive knack for map reading and photographic memory. Arriving in the UK, he was offered a Coca-Cola which he tried for the first time (now, his favourite drink) and a Harry Potter book. The next six months were filled with long training days and getting to grips with English before being sent to live in a flat with an Al Qaeda operative in London. 10 Osama bin-Laden addresses a news conference in Afghanistan on May 26, 1998 Credit: Reuters 10 Aimen worked for the MI5 and MI6 for eight years, becoming one of the secret service's most audacious spies Credit: Supplied / Aimen Dean On becoming an informant for the British Secret Intelligence Service he said the best piece of advice he received was to just 'go and have fun'. During this time, Aimen hopped between homes and became close with his roommates by leaning on his superior intellect and offering them religious guidance. He said: 'I am generally theologically better trained than the average Al Qaeda person so I ended up being kind of like a spiritual coach. "It's a bit brutal but it means they will open their hearts and minds to me, which made my espionage much easier.' It wasn't long before Aimen was asked if we would go back to Afghanistan and acquire intelligence for the MI6. This is a jungle - kill or be killed. The world only respects one language: terror Abu Khabab After rigorous training, he returned to the Middle East pretending his return was so he could get back in touch with his spirituality. He spent the next eight years spying for MI5 and MI6, becoming one of the secret service's most audacious spies. When asked about any close calls, he told The Times about a period in 2001, when he was called to meet one of bin Laden's closest lieutenants. He feared they had clocked on but was instead asked to deliver a message to four "brothers" in London, instructing them to "leave the country". The message read: "They must leave the country and come here before September 1. Something big is going to happen and we expect the Americans to come to Afghanistan." Aimen was walking along Oxford street later that year when he learned of the terror attack on America's Twin Towers and remembered those haunting words: "something big". Not long after, he caught wind of a worrying plot engineered by his former leader Khabab to bomb the New York Subway. Thanks to Aimen's tip, news of the planned attack was passed to the Oval office and successfully foiled. When asked about any close calls, he recalled the time he was cooking at the military camp and suddenly felt the cold end of a pistol against his lower spine. "Someone said, that's it confess, we know who you are. We know who you are working with," he said. His thorough training had taught him how to detect a bluff, so he held his nerve. It later transpired the incident was a routine test. Did he ever feel scared? Nervous, yes, he said. But the trick is to always "forget you're spying". 10 Aimen has a brilliant photographic memory which he owes to hours spent reading growing up Credit: Supplied / Aimen Dean 10 On becoming an informant for the British Secret service he said the best piece of advice he received was to just 'go and have fun' Credit: Supplied / Aimen Dean
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Twenty years on from 7/7, we have learned nothing
As our thoughts turn to the terror attacks which rocked London 20 years ago tomorrow, the Russian Federation is – according to the Dutch government – now responsible for thousands of chemical weapon attacks in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is now heartbreakingly similar to the trench warfare of WW1. The casualty rate is similar and now the Russians are trying to break the stalemate with gas as the Germans did at the second battle of Ypres in April 1915. As then, the lack of respirators initially was decisive: but the delivery of protective equipment to the frontline in WW1 nullified this dreadful weapon, as it should in Ukraine once British masks arrive in the coming weeks. Twenty years ago, at the time of 7/7, I was commanding the UK's Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defence force and we were on operations in Iraq. We were dealing with a potential Al Qaeda biological weapon attack against British troops in southern Iraq. Though much about that episode is still confidential, the basic detail is in my memoir Chemical Warrior. That situation ultimately turned out to be a false alarm, but it brought conventional operations to a halt for 48 hours as my team and I dealt with the threat. This is when I began to think that if you had no morals or scruples you would use chemical weapons all the time. In his brilliant autobiography Nine Lives, Aimen Dean, a jihadist turned MI6 agent working within Al Qaeda, details how the terror organisation was planning to use and develop chemical and biological weapons. This is undoubtedly still an aspiration of ISIS and other jihadist groups. What has vexed me for some time is the thought that had 7/7 been a CBRN attack, God only knows what the death toll might have been. I saw at close hand the vile Assad regime killing thousands of Syrian civilians with the deadly nerve agent Sarin, but also with much more readily available chlorine. When I was fighting with the Peshmerga against ISIS, in 2015-17, the terrorists frequently fired mortars at us full of mustard agent aka mustard gas. ISIS also tried to obtain highly enriched uranium to make an improvised nuclear device which could have devastated whole towns and villages. The successors of the 7/7 jihadists have tried and, so far, failed to devastate the hated West with some form of CBRN attack. Long may this continue, but we must not drop our guard. It is not just the terrorists who view this type of attack as the gold standard, but also tyrants and rogue states. The dictator of North Korea had his stepbrother assassinated with the nerve agent VX, and my hometown of Salisbury was attacked by Russian hitmen on the orders of Putin himself, with Novichok, the deadliest chemical man has ever produced. There was enough Novichok used in the attack to kill half the population of Salsibury. Nonetheless there are countermeasures for every threat. It is the one that is ignored or put in the too difficult bracket that will cause us serious harm. The routine use of readily available toxic industrial chemicals like chlorine in Syria, and of 'non lethal' CS gas in Ukraine, has drawn very little comment from the international community. Tyrants like Putin may become emboldened to use more toxic and lethal substances or pathogens against us. The awful events of 7/7 showed us long ago that it's a dangerous world, full of people who wish us harm, and it is much more dangerous today. But for too long we have allowed evil to flourish without action or even protest. Worse, we have failed to strengthen our defences: we have used creative accounting to pretend spending was adequate, rather than actually finding more money for the armed services, the intelligence agencies, the special forces and all the others who guard us while we sleep. Going forward we need to remember that stark lesson we should have learned 20 years ago. It won't matter how good (or not) our other public services or our welfare system may be if our defences are inadequate.
New York Post
22-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities won't lead to another Chernobyl: experts
The US launched devastating strikes that 'obliterated' Iranian nuclear facilities Saturday night — but don't expect another Chernobyl, experts said. President Trump ordered strikes on three nuclear sites inside Iran, where International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have found uranium purified to near weapons grade. Bunker-buster bombs are believed to have wiped out the Fordow facility, while 30 Tomahawk missiles fired from submarines 400 miles away struck Natanz and Isfahan. Advertisement But the hits on Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow — Iran's most secure nuclear enrichment facility, which was buried 300 feet inside a mountain — shouldn't spark panic over possible nuclear fallout. Experts in radiation hazards say there is little risk of widespread contamination such as what took place on April 26, 1986, when an infamous power surge and subsequent fire at Russia's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant released massive amounts of deadly radiation into the air, killing 31 and causing widespread contamination and long-term health impacts. 3 President Trump addressed the nation Saturday after unleashing airstrikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities. Reuters Advertisement Chernobyl is widely considered the worst nuclear disaster in world history. 'This isn't a Chernobyl scenario,' author Aimen Dean posted to X. 'So, in layman's terms: this isn't 'hot' nuclear fuel undergoing fission,' he wrote. 'It's uranium in various stages of enrichment, and even a military strike that destroys centrifuges or disperses material is unlikely to produce a large-scale, long-lasting fallout event. The US targeted enrichment facilities — not nuclear reactors — deep within Iran, buffered by mountains in the north and the Caspian Sea in the Northeast, so 'there may be localized contamination, but not a region-wide radiological disaster.' Advertisement 'There's no fallout threat from this because it's all underneath,' according to Atlantic Council's Alex Plitsas. 'The president just prevented World War III with this decisive action. This is the 'strength' in 'peace through strength' boldly shown to the world at last.' 3 Iran's Ishafan facility was one of three hit by American airstrikes. Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies/AFP via Getty Images The nature of the material in Iran is a key reason a nuclear fallout-type event is unlikely. Advertisement 'With uranium … the radiation doesn't really travel very far,' Prof Claire Corkhill, chair in Mineralogy and Radioactive Waste Management at the University of Bristol, told the BBC. Uranium's toxicity would wreak havoc on the human body if it were ingested, or if the particles from the dangerous substances were inhaled — meaning those close to the site of the bombings could face some health risks, she noted. But another expert insisted that while there might be impacts in a 'very local area,' the bombing shouldn't create 'a massive environmental fallout.' 'If there was an incident and the centrifuges were to release the uranium hexafluoride, the gas contained within the centrifuges, then it would be a really severe chemical incident,' Prof Simon Middleburgh, a nuclear materials scientist from Bangor University, told the outlet. Iran's uranium was well on its way to being concentrated enough for a nuclear weapon, according to the IAEA. 3 Natanz was another facility struck Saturday night. Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies/AFP via Getty Images But blasting a rocket into stockpiles of enriched uranium would not pose risk of a 'nuclear incident.' Advertisement 'Highly enriched uranium is about three times more radioactive than non-enriched uranium,' said Prof. Jim Smith, from the University of Portsmouth, who has studied the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. 'But … neither of them are particularly densely radioactive. 'It wouldn't cause a major environmental contamination problem.'
