A U.S. bombing of Iran could encourage other countries to develop nuclear weapons and trigger an arms race.

Axar.az reports that this was stated by Russian nuclear industry expert Aleksandr Uvarov.

“The destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities under international supervision is extremely controversial. It casts doubt on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and undermines the credibility of institutions such as the IAEA. Countries suspected of developing nuclear capabilities may interpret this as a signal that security guarantees no longer apply, and therefore consider creating full nuclear weapons as their only means of protection. Instead of reducing tensions, such a strike would lead to a new arms race, which could increase global instability,” the expert said.