Expert analysis on Israel's accusation that Iran is using dangerous cluster munitions
Israeli military officials accuse Iran of launching cluster bombs repeatedly during the war, a weapon deemed dangerous to civilians. So, what is a cluster bomb that is prohibited from use?
Before dissecting the anatomy of a cluster bomb, Khairul Fahmi, Co-Founder of the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS), situates Israel’s accusation against Iran in a proportionate and critical manner. In the escalated conflicts of the current era, information warfare and propaganda always go hand in hand with on-the-ground hostilities.
“Unilateral claims by one side of a conflict cannot automatically be treated as absolute truth without forensic investigations and verification by international independent bodies, such as the UN. Therefore, I must regard this as a ‘claim’ that still requires proof, not a fact already confirmed,” Khairul told reporters on Sunday (8 March 2026).
Khairul then explained technically that cluster munitions are a type of weapon designed to disperse destruction over a very wide area. Cluster bombs have a wide destructive capacity over a territory.
“Mechanism: the main weapon, which can be bombs dropped from the air, missiles, or artillery rounds, will explode or open in the air before reaching the ground. When it opens, the main casings release dozens to hundreds of small bombs (bomblets or submunitions) which then rain down over an area as large as several football pitches at once,” Khairul said.
“The tactical military objective of this weapon is actually to disable targets that are spread out at once, such as infantry formations, convoys of armoured vehicles, or enemy air bases,” he continued.
Cluster bombs, Khairul said, are explicitly banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), adopted in 2008. The treaty prohibits the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster bombs, and has been ratified by more than 100 countries.
“The problem is that some militarily powerful countries, including the United States, Russia, Israel, and also Iran, are not states party to the treaty. However, regardless of ratification status, the use of cluster bombs whose effects impact densely populated areas remains a serious breach of the fundamental principles of International Humanitarian Law, particularly the principles of distinction and proportionality, which can be categorised as war crimes,” he said.
Therefore, linking the international ban and condemnations to Iran’s strategic calculations, the Israeli accusation is seen as something that could be analysed more sharply. Iran has long been regarded as acutely aware of its conventional military inferiority relative to Israel, which is fully backed by the United States.
This awareness of Iran’s defensive posture, according to Khairul, makes Iran’s military doctrine tend to be very cautious, measured, and to rely more on asymmetric warfare strategies. If Iran were to use cluster bombs, Khairul contends, it would be a strategic error for Iran.
“Using cluster bombs, one of the weapons most condemned by the global community because of its humanitarian impact, would instead be a blunder or a very major strategic mistake for Tehran. Such a move would only complicate Tehran’s geopolitical position, erode sympathy or support from the international community, and at the same time give Israel full moral justification and legitimacy to launch a much more massive and destructive retaliation,” Khairul said.
“Therefore, from the perspective of military strategy rationality and diplomacy, it is highly unlikely that Iran would take the rash risk that could be political ‘suicide’,” he added.
Khairul then explained that the impact and danger of cluster bombs to civilians is extremely destructive in both the short and long term. There are two main danger phases that need to be understood.
“First, at the moment of attack. Because of the weapon’s nature of dispersing over a wide area (wide area effect), cluster bombs are essentially indiscriminate,” he said.
The weapon, he said, does not have the capability to distinguish between a lawful military target and civilian objects such as settlements, hospitals, or public infrastructure. If used in inhabited areas, mass civilian casualties are an inevitability.
“Second, the post-attack phase, which is the most frightening long-term threat. Technically, the dud rate of cluster submunitions tends to be quite high when they hit the ground. Hundreds of small bombs that fail to detonate (unexploded ordnance/UXO) effectively become land mines hidden in the rubble of buildings or agricultural land,” he said.
The remnants of bombs are highly sensitive and can explode at any time, even years or decades after the war ends. The victims most frequently affected by these remnants are civilians returning to their homes, farmers, or, tragically, children who often mistake the bombs for toys because of their shape.