Camilla Jessen
Rising tensions in the Middle East have sparked fresh anxiety about how far the conflict could spread.
Over the weekend, the United States and Israel carried out air strikes on Iran in an operation referred to as “Operation Epic Fury,” according to Sky News.
Several Iranian cities were hit, including Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Kermanshah and Qom. Reports said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed after his residence was targeted.
Fears have since grown over potential retaliation and the possibility of broader escalation.
Nuclear targets
If Iran were to respond militarily against the United States, experts suggest nuclear missile sites could be considered strategic targets.
According to data cited by Newsweek and Nuclear Forces, the U.S. maintains roughly 2,000 nuclear warheads, many based in Montana, North Dakota and Nebraska, with additional sites in Wyoming and Colorado.
States housing these missile silos are considered among the most exposed in the event of a strike, due to the potential for direct impact and radioactive fallout.
Scientific American reported in 2023 that a large-scale attack on U.S. silo fields in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana and North Dakota “would annihilate all life in the surrounding regions and contaminate fertile agricultural land for years.”
Lower exposure zones
Newsweek analysed potential radiation exposure levels based on cumulative dose estimates over four days, measured in grays (Gy), the international unit for ionising radiation.
In heavily targeted states such as Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota, exposure could range from 1 Gy to 84 Gy, with 8 Gy considered potentially lethal.
By comparison, states including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan were identified as having significantly lower estimated exposure levels, between 0.001 Gy and 0.5 Gy.
Other areas considered relatively less exposed include Washington, Utah, New Mexico and Illinois.
Newsweek said its calculations were based on “the average radiation exposure risk calculated for each latitude and longitude point, using a scale measuring the estimated cumulative radiation dose after four days in grays (Gy).”
Sources: Sky News, Newsweek, Scientific American, Nuclear Forces.
