Is the U.S. Starting Nuclear Weapons Tests? Could a Nuclear War Be Next?

According to the political desk at Saed News, U.S. President Donald Trump announced early Thursday that the United States will immediately begin testing nuclear weapons. The announcement came just one hour before Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and could spark a new arms race among the world’s major powers. The United States has not conducted a nuclear test since 1992. If Trump follows through on this decision, a renewed superpower arms race could be imminent.

Trump wrote: “The United States possesses more nuclear weapons than any other country. This achievement—including the complete updating and modernization of existing weapons—was accomplished during my first term in office. I hated the immense destructive power of these weapons, but I had no choice! Russia is second and China is third, but they will catch up to us in five years.” He added: “Due to tests by other countries, I have instructed the U.S. Department of War to begin testing our nuclear weapons on par with theirs. This will start immediately.”

Trump referenced “other countries’” tests, though no public reports indicate that Russia or China have conducted full-scale nuclear weapons tests. He likely referred to Russia’s recent long-range missile test. Earlier this week, Trump responded to a reporter’s question about that test by saying, “We have a nuclear submarine—the best in the world—right off their coast.”

The only country in recent years to conduct large-scale nuclear tests has been North Korea. Global efforts to ban nuclear testing and prevent further proliferation led to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, but nine countries, including the United States, have not ratified it. Since then, only a few countries—including India, Pakistan, and North Korea—have carried out full nuclear tests.