Trump Alleges Secret Nuclear Tests by Pakistan, China, and Russia
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Pakistan, China, and Russia are secretly conducting nuclear weapons tests and argued that the United States should not remain the only major power refraining from doing so, according to “The Express Tribune”.
In a televised CBS 60 Minutes interview, Trump said he had directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear testing “immediately,” insisting that several countries continue to conduct underground tests in secret. “North Korea tests, Pakistan tests, they all test, they just don’t tell you about it,” he said.
The remarks have reignited concern over whether Washington could break its three-decade moratorium on nuclear detonations — the U.S. has not carried out a full-scale nuclear test since 1992.
Trump, who has repeatedly touted America’s nuclear capabilities, said the U.S. possesses enough weapons “to blow up the world 150 times,” but argued that without testing, “you don’t know if they work.”
“We are the only country that doesn’t test,” he said. “We are an open society, we talk about it. But they test, and others test. So we have to test too.”
He emphasized that while using nuclear weapons remains “unthinkable,” maintaining their reliability is essential. “This just doesn’t make sense,” he added. “How are you going to know if they work if you don’t test?”
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has not responded to Trump’s allegations.
Analysts warn that any resumption of U.S. nuclear testing could upend decades of non-proliferation efforts, strain relations with major powers, and trigger a new wave of nuclear brinkmanship. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), though signed by Washington in 1996, has never been ratified by the U.S. Senate; leaving room for a potential policy shift.
