Post by : Rameen Ariff

In a move that has stunned global leaders and reignited fears of a renewed nuclear arms race, President Donald Trump on Thursday announced plans to resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing — ending more than three decades of restraint. The announcement, made on Truth Social as Trump was heading into a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, has sparked widespread alarm and condemnation across the world.

The brief but blunt message declared that the Department of War had been instructed to begin nuclear testing “on an equal basis” with other nations. The timing and tone of the statement, coupled with the lack of clarity over whether it referred to weapons systems or actual explosive tests, left both allies and adversaries scrambling for answers.

If implemented, this would mark America’s first live nuclear test since 1992, when the country last conducted a 20-kiloton underground detonation at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. Since then, the United States has relied on advanced simulations and subcritical experiments under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which prohibits all nuclear explosions.

Trump justified his decision by claiming that “other countries are testing” and that it was time for the United States to “match them.” However, global experts quickly disputed his claims. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia currently holds 5,489 nuclear warheads, compared to 5,177 for the United States and 600 for China.

The Chinese government swiftly urged Washington to “earnestly abide by the global nuclear testing ban,” while the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that “nuclear testing can never be permitted under any circumstances.”

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed doubt that Trump had been correctly informed about Russia’s military activities, emphasizing that recent Russian drills “cannot be interpreted as nuclear tests.” Peskov, however, cautioned that if the U.S. resumed live testing, “Russia will act accordingly.”

Trump’s statement has left analysts and lawmakers questioning both the legality and the wisdom of the move. Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus announced that she would introduce legislation to “put a stop to any attempt to restart nuclear weapons testing” in her state, citing the catastrophic environmental and humanitarian consequences of past detonations.

Ironically, Trump also told reporters aboard Air Force One that he still supported negotiations for nuclear disarmament, calling “denuclearization a tremendous thing” and suggesting that Russia and China could be part of future talks — even as his directive pushed the world closer to nuclear brinkmanship.

The United States has conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests since 1945 — more than any other country — and remains the only nation to have used atomic weapons in war.

As the world reacts to Trump’s stunning announcement, experts warn that resuming nuclear testing could dismantle decades of global arms control efforts, reignite geopolitical rivalries, and potentially unleash a new era of instability.

For now, one thing is certain: the era of nuclear restraint may be ending — and the world is watching.

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