Trump says US to resume nuclear weapons tests, backs S Korean nuclear sub

Trump orders US Defense Department to resume atomic weapons testing.

United States President Donald Trump says helium has ordered the Department of Defense to “immediately” resume atomic weapons investigating connected an “equal basis” with different nuclear-armed powers.

The US person besides said connected Thursday that helium gave state South Korea the greenish airy to physique its ain nuclear-powered submarine aft palmy commercialized negotiations with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung.

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Writing connected his Truth Social level soon earlier his acme with Chinese President Xi Jinping connected the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) acme successful the South Korean metropolis of Busan, Trump said that portion the US has “more Nuclear Weapons than immoderate different country”, China “will beryllium adjacent wrong 5 years”.

Trump added that helium ordered the resumption owed to “other countries [nuclear] investigating programs”.

“I person instructed the Department of War [Department of Defense] to commencement investigating our Nuclear Weapons connected an adjacent basis. That process volition statesman immediately,” helium wrote.

It was not instantly wide whether Trump meant formation investigating of nuclear-capable missiles oregon nuclear-explosive testing, which would beryllium carried retired by the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

China has rapidly expanded its atomic warhead stockpile to astir 600 successful caller years, adding astir 100 per twelvemonth since 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The Pentagon estimated that Beijing volition person much than 1,000 operational atomic warheads by 2030.

The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation (CACNP) estimated that Russia presently possesses 5,459 atomic warheads, of which 1,600 are actively deployed.

The US has astir 5,550 atomic warheads, according to the CACNP, with astir 3,800 of those active. At its highest successful the mid-1960s during the Cold War, the US stockpile consisted of much than 31,000 progressive and inactive atomic warheads.

Former Republican US President George HW Bush issued a moratorium connected atomic weapons investigating with the illness of the Soviet Union successful 1991. The US past exploded a atomic instrumentality successful 1992.

Only 3 countries person detonated atomic devices since 1996, the twelvemonth the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was opened for signatures – India successful 1998, Pakistan doubly successful 1998 and North Korea connected 5 occasions.

Trump besides announced connected Thursday that helium had approved US enactment for South Korea gathering its ain nuclear-powered submarine.

Trump said the determination would regenerate South Korea’s “old fashioned, and acold little nimble, diesel powered Submarines”. He added that the submarine would beryllium built successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wherever the South Korean steadfast Hanwha runs a shipyard.

The melodramatic determination is acceptable to admit Seoul to a tiny nine of nations that person specified vessels, namely the US, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and India.

At their gathering connected Wednesday, Lee pushed Trump to revise the countries’ atomic vigor statement to let Seoul greater flexibility successful reprocessing spent atomic substance and uranium enrichment.

The longstanding pact restricts Seoul to enriching uranium to levels beneath 20 percent, and it is prohibited from reprocessing spent atomic substance without US consent.

Lee said revising these restrictions would let South Korea to person substance “supply for nuclear-powered submarines”. Crucially, helium emphasised that his authorities was looking for atomic substance alternatively than weapons.

“If substance proviso is permitted, we tin physique respective submarines equipped with accepted weapons utilizing our ain exertion to support the waters astir the Korean Peninsula, yet reducing the load connected US forces,” Lee said.

Trump did not accidental wherever South Korea would get the propulsion exertion needed for a nuclear-powered submarine. The US has lone erstwhile earlier shared that exertion – with the UK successful the 1950s.