By Dr Arun Mitra
Global civil society organisations have appealed to the US Congress to take immediate steps to prevent the use of nuclear weapons against Iran. The appeal, initiated by the Back from the Brink Coalition, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, and Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), has been endorsed by more than 200 national and international organisations, including the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) from South Asia.
The appeal comes in the wake of recent threats by US President Donald Trump to “hit Iran hard” after the US midterm elections. Such a statement is deeply alarming, as it suggests that an extremely dangerous military escalation could be contemplated at any time. The possibility of the use of nuclear weapons cannot, therefore, be dismissed as mere rhetoric.
The appeal warns that even the use of a single nuclear weapon against Iran would shatter the taboo against nuclear warfare that has prevailed since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The consequences would be catastrophic, not only for Iran and the surrounding region but for humanity as a whole.
IPPNW has repeatedly warned of the devastating humanitarian consequences of nuclear warfare. Nuclear explosions would trigger massive climatic disturbances, potentially causing a nuclear winter, disrupting food production and accelerating the destruction of plant and animal life. The consequences would extend far beyond the immediate victims of the explosions.
The seriousness of the situation is further underscored by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which, in January 2026, set the Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been to a global catastrophe. Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), nuclear-weapon states are committed to pursuing negotiations in good faith towards nuclear disarmament. However, instead of fulfilling this obligation, the United States and other nuclear powers are modernising and expanding their nuclear arsenals. The US alone has plans involving an estimated expenditure of $1.7 trillion on a new generation of nuclear weapons. This reckless pursuit of nuclear superiority further aggravates an already dangerous global situation.
The United States also retains the option of using nuclear weapons first. Against this background, the appeal to Congress assumes particular significance, especially given President Trump’s repeated and contradictory statements on the subject.
Such statements from the President of the world’s most powerful nuclear-armed country are deeply disturbing. They create uncertainty about the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and undermine the international norms that have so far prevented another nuclear catastrophe.
It is precisely for this reason that more than 200 organisations have urged the US Congress to act without delay. They have called upon Congress to exercise its constitutional authority and make it unequivocally clear that it does not authorise or condone the use of nuclear weapons against Iran. The President’s powers to initiate military action must not be allowed to become an unchecked licence to unleash a nuclear catastrophe.
The danger, however, does not end with Iran. The consequences could set off a chain reaction of nuclear threats and possible retaliation across the world. The Russia-Ukraine war has continued for nearly five years, with the possibility of further escalation remaining a serious concern. If the United States were to use nuclear weapons against Iran, it provide Russia with a pretext to contemplate similar action in Ukraine.
China and North Korea, which have maintained supportive relations with Iran, would also have to consider the implications of such an unprecedented development. Their responses could further complicate an already volatile international situation.
The danger is particularly grave for South Asia. India and Pakistan, two neighbouring nuclear-armed countries, have remained locked in prolonged hostility and have fought several wars and military conflicts, including those of 1948, 1965, 1971, Kargil in 1999 and the military confrontation of 2025. Any further erosion of the global restraint against nuclear weapons would have serious implications for this region. A nuclear conflict involving any of these countries could devastate millions of lives and have consequences extending far beyond their borders.
Iran has already warned of a powerful retaliation in the event of a nuclear attack. A military confrontation involving the United States and Israel could therefore escalate rapidly, drawing in other countries and making it increasingly difficult to contain the conflict. The possibility of a wider chain reaction involving nuclear-armed states cannot be ruled out.
Behind these military adventures lie powerful geopolitical and economic interests. The United States has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to use military force to protect and advance its strategic interests. The familiar pattern is one of destruction followed by reconstruction, often with powerful corporate interests benefiting from the latter. The experience of Hiroshima offers a disturbing example. After the atomic bombing in 1945, Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), formerly the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) was established in 1947 by the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), following a directive issued by US President Harry S. Truman in November 1946.
It was funded primarily by the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). While scientific investigation of these consequences was necessary, the larger contradiction remains: the same world that studies the horrific effects of nuclear weapons continues to develop, modernise and threaten their use. What greater hypocrisy could there be?
Humanity cannot afford another Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The use of nuclear weapons against Iran would not be an isolated military act; it could destroy the fragile restraints that have prevented nuclear warfare for more than eight decades. Once that threshold is crossed, there may be no guarantee that the escalation can be contained.
We hope that the US Congress will take this appeal seriously and act decisively to restrain the unchecked exercise of presidential power over nuclear weapons. The responsibility to prevent a nuclear catastrophe cannot be postponed until after the first bomb is dropped. The future of humanity demands action now. (IPA Service)
