A former US envoy to the UN has hinted that as of next week any Israeli attack on a nuclear power plant in southern Iran could trigger a humanitarian disaster.

Iranian officials have announced that the Bushehr nuclear reactor will go online next week and Tehran will inject the first fuel shipment into the reactor on August 21.

“Once that uranium, once those fuel rods are very close to the reactor, certainly once they’re in the reactor, attacking it means a release of radiation, no question about it,” John R. Bolton told Fox Business Network on Monday.

As a staunch supporter of Israel and a vocal opponent of Iran’s nuclear program, Bolton has long been urging Washington to stop Tehran at any price.

“(If not stopped), Iran will achieve something that no other opponent of Israel, no other enemy of the United States in the Middle East really has and that is a functioning nuclear reactor,” Bolton noted.

When asked about the likelihood of an actual anti-Iran strike within the next week, Bolton dismissed the probability of a military attack. “I don’t think so, I’m afraid that they’ve lost this opportunity.”

The former UN ambassador also accused Russia, which helped build the nuclear power plant, of centering their policies on the chance “to stick a thumb in America’s eye.”

On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast warned that under international laws, attacking power stations is regarded as an “international crime.”

He highlighted that the consequences of such a strike would not be limited to the country where the plant is located.

Israel and its Western allies accuse Iran of following a military nuclear program and Tel Aviv has repeatedly threatened Tehran with an attack on its nuclear facilities.

Tehran rejects the charges, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Iran has a right to the peaceful applications of nuclear technology.