US President Donald Trump’s unexpected directive to resume nuclear weapons testing has sparked widespread condemnation and fears of renewed global tensions.
Gatekeepers News reports that the announcement came shortly after Russia confirmed it had tested a nuclear-powered torpedo and a new cruise missile. However, confusion deepened when Trump failed to clarify whether his order referred to testing nuclear-capable delivery systems or live nuclear detonations — which the United States has not carried out in over three decades.
Iran swiftly denounced the move as “regressive and irresponsible.”
“A nuclear-armed bully is resuming testing of atomic weapons. The same bully has been demonizing Iran’s peaceful nuclear program,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media.
In Japan, the atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo issued a letter of protest to the US embassy, condemning the decision as “utterly unacceptable.”
“The order directly contradicts the efforts of nations striving for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons,” the Nobel Peace Prize-winning group stated.
Trump made the announcement on Thursday — just minutes before entering a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Mixed Reactions in Washington
While the decision drew alarm internationally, some US officials defended the move. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the resumption of testing as “a pretty responsible policy,” while Vice President JD Vance said the step was necessary to ensure the arsenal “functions properly.” Neither, however, offered specifics on the nature of the planned tests.
China’s foreign ministry urged Washington to “earnestly abide by” the global nuclear testing ban, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated that “nuclear testing can never be permitted under any circumstances.”
The United States has been a signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) since 1996, which prohibits all atomic test explosions for military or civilian purposes.
Russia Reacts Cautiously
The Kremlin rejected any suggestion that its recent weapons tests justified renewed US nuclear testing, and questioned whether Trump had been accurately briefed.
“The recent drills cannot in any way be interpreted as a nuclear test,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “We hope the information was conveyed correctly to President Trump.”
However, Peskov hinted that Russia could follow suit if the US moved ahead with live detonations.
A Step Back in History
The US last conducted a nuclear explosion in September 1992 at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. Then-President George H. W. Bush imposed a moratorium a month later — a policy upheld by every administration since.
Between 1945 and 1992, the United States conducted 1,054 nuclear tests, including the two bombs dropped on Japan during World War II — the only use of nuclear weapons in combat.
Nuclear testing was later replaced with subcritical experiments and advanced computer simulations to maintain the reliability of the US stockpile.
Despite the provocative order, Trump maintained that he seeks “negotiations with Russia and China to reduce nuclear weapons forces.”
“Denuclearization would be a tremendous thing,” he told reporters.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia currently holds about 4,309 nuclear warheads, compared to 3,700 for the US and roughly 600 for China.
