Nuclear war fears rise as radiation drug is distributed to civilians living near US strike targets

Civilians near the potential targets of a US nuclear strike have reportedly been given a key radiation drug. A medical official from Iran 's Ministry of Health claimed that iodine tablets were being distributed to communities within two miles of the country's nuclear facilities, specifically in Isfahan Province. Last week, President Donald Trump was reportedly considering the use of nuclear weapons to destroy Iran's Natanz enrichment complex and the nearby Pickaxe Mountain underground site – two locations alleged to be part of the Iranian nuclear weapons program.

The medical official, who has not been named, told the Times of London : 'Yes, we are distributing iodine. During every war, we have tried to distribute it within a two-to-three-kilometer radius of nuclear facilities.' The reported distribution comes as the nation has been broadcasting emergency alerts which detail what to do if the US struck these specific sites with a nuclear bomb. If a nuclear weapon is used, or Iran's nuclear sites are badly damaged by a US attack, it can throw radioactive iodine into the air that people breathe in or swallow.

The thyroid gland absorbs this radioactive iodine, which raises the risk of thyroid cancer later on, especially in children. Iodine tablets fill the thyroid with safe, non-radioactive iodine first so the organ absorbs much less of the radioactive fallout. Iodine tablets have reportedly been distributed near US nuclear targets in Iran President Trump has reportedly been considering new strikes against Iran's nuclear sites, but said Sunday that there were no immediate plans to intensify the fighting Despite Iran's denial that the nuclear fallout pills were being handed out, Iranian state-linked media claimed the anti-radiation pills were being handed out and stockpiled at hospitals in the southern city of Bushehr, home to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant.

The Young Journalists Club reported that 180,000 tablets were handed out before fighting between the US, Israel and Iran started in June 2025, initially starting with those living around the power plant and later expanding citywide. US Air Force veteran Sean Gold, a so-called 'Doomsday prepper,' explained that iodine tablets also play a key role in purifying water supplies in an emergency. Bottles of the tablets are generally inexpensive in the US and can purify water within an hour if there is a threat of bacteria or radioactive contamination.

Gold, who founded the 'Doomsday prepping' website TruePrepper , added that every American's emergency survival bag should carry iodine or alternatives such as bleach. During an interview aired on CBS 60 Minutes Sunday, Trump insisted he had no immediate plans to intensify the fighting in Iran. 'Well, I'm not looking to. I don't think there's any reason to,' Trump said . The remarks came just days after a series of urgent meetings between the president and his national security team to decide whether the US will reopen its bombing campaign against Iran as ceasefire talks drag on.

Pickaxe Mountain is one of many sites the US could target if it restarts its war against Iran Trump defended the war against Iran as a necessary decision to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Pictured: Strikes are seen hitting the Iranian capital Tehran in March Read More EXCLUSIVE America could descend into chaos in minutes: Ex-FBI agents warn of 'existential threat' The facilities at Natanz and Pickaxe Mountain are believed to be key parts of Iran's operations to create weapons-grade uranium for nuclear bombs.

Trump has maintained that the US will not allow Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) to possess such a weapon, and former members of the US intelligence community believe the option to launch a nuclear strike is still on the table. Podcast host and former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson also claimed on November 2 that a US nuclear strike was only 'days away.' Distributing iodine tablets has become a common sight when the threat of nuclear war becomes a real possibility.

In 2022, both Ukraine and Poland began preparing stockpiles of iodine tablets due to the Russian invasion and fighting near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Ukrainian authorities handed out iodine tablets to residents living within 30 miles of the plant after shelling by Russian forces raised fears of a radiation leak. The Polish government moved over 57 million potassium iodide (iodine) tablets from its strategic reserves to local fire departments in case a radiation leak was detected along its border with Ukraine.

In the US, warnings about potential nuclear radiation have not been given, but the Pentagon and former FBI officials have issued urgent messages to Americans to prepare for a potential national crisis. Former FBI agents Chris Swecker and Dan Bongino have urged the public to begin stockpiling emergency supplies for a potential attack if the war in Iran goes nuclear. The warning came in response to the Pentagon's 'Fortress America' plans becoming public.

The alert to all US military bases called on officials to be prepared to go without new supplies for at least 90 days in the event of a major disaster on US soil.