Destroying
every power plant and bridge in Iran could simultaneously collapse
containment at multiple dual-use biolabs by cutting electricity,
refrigeration, ventilation, and staff access.
Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
Until
now, I have refrained from commenting on the Iran War. However,
imminent developments have created the real risk of a major
public-health catastrophe, compelling me to share this information.
President Trump has given Iran until Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET
(today) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of every
power plant and bridge in the country. At a White House press
conference, he said: “Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12
o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of
business, burning, exploding and never to be used again.”
Iran’s
known and suspected biological weapons facilities depend on the same
power grids and transport links that the White House has promised to
destroy. If “Power Plant Day” happens, the consequence nobody is
discussing is this: multiple dual-use biological facilities in Iran face simultaneous containment failure.
How Infrastructure Strikes Trigger Biolab Failure
Biological
agents stored in research facilities require constant refrigeration,
negative-pressure ventilation, and trained personnel oversight. These
are not optional — they are the systems that prevent pathogens from
escaping into the environment. Destroy the power grid and you destroy
the cold chain. Destroy the bridges and you cut off the personnel who
maintain containment. The biolab doesn’t need to be struck directly. The
containment fails on its own.
Although
these facilities typically have on-site emergency diesel generators and
battery backup systems, these redundancies are designed only for
short-term outages. Generator fuel supplies usually last between 24 and
72 hours at most. When power plants across the country are destroyed and
key bridges are severed, diesel resupply becomes impossible,
maintenance crews cannot reach the sites, and personnel may be unable or
unwilling to remain on duty amid the chaos. Once the backup systems
fail, negative pressure ventilation collapses, refrigeration units warm
up, and biological containment is lost — even without any direct strike
on the laboratories themselves.
If containment fails, materials
that could be released include anthrax, plague bacteria (Yersinia
pestis), botulinum toxin, and aflatoxin — agents repeatedly linked by
U.S. intelligence and NCRI reports to Iran’s dual-use programs. Some
facilities are also suspected of bioregulator research for
incapacitating or lethal effects. While many cited agents have limited
person-to-person spread, pneumonic plague is highly contagious and has
caused past pandemics; it could trigger rapid regional or global
outbreaks. Due to dual-use cover and limited transparency, secret or
genetically modified pathogens with enhanced transmissibility or
virulence cannot be ruled out.
Iran’s Biological Weapons Infrastructure
Iran almost certainly possesses biological weapons research capabilities. The U.S. State Department has assessed that Tehran retains the flexibility to convert legitimate research into lethal biological weapons production. The ODNI assessed in March 2025 that Iran “very likely” aims to continue R&D of biological agents for offensive purposes. These capabilities sit within a network of military-affiliated universities, IRGC-linked research centers, and dual-use pharmaceutical institutions — deliberately embedded in civilian infrastructure to blur the line between public health and weapons work.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists confirmed
that the Shahid Meisami Research Complex, Imam Hussein University, and
Malek Ashtar University have all sustained strike damage across the 2025
and 2026 campaigns. The Pasteur Institute — Iran’s century-old vaccine and infectious disease center, but also flagged by Japan and Britain as a biological weapons proliferation concern — was severely damaged on April 2.
Biological
containment depends on electricity, refrigeration, ventilation, and
personnel access — all of which collapse when you destroy a country's
power grid and bridges. If “Power Plant Day” happens tonight, multiple
dual-use biological facilities in Iran could face simultaneous
containment failure.
Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation
Support our mission: mcculloughfnd.org