Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi criticized Washington’s move, saying it “irresponsible and regressive.” This also exposes American double standards on nuclear issues.
“The same bully has been demonizing Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and threatening further strikes on our safeguarded nuclear facilities, all in blatant violation of international law,” Araqchi said.
President Trump announced the decision on Thursday through a social media post, shortly before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Trump had instructed the Pentagon to immediately resume nuclear power testing “on an equal basis” with other countries like China and Russia.
“The nuclear weapons of China and Russia will match the US weapons in five years,” Trump said, justifying the move as a matter of national security.
Nuclear expert Ankit Panda said Trump’s decision was likely a response to the recent military developments in China and Russia, rather than tensions with Iran.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow had successfully tested the Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo. Meanwhile, China showcased its advanced nuclear systems during a military parade in September.
The United Nations noted that while these countries have displayed new weapons, they have not conducted ground or underwater nuclear tests.
Nuclear testing is banned under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) of 1996. The US, China, and Iran have signed but not ratified the treaty, while Russia withdrew its ratification in 2023.
Trump has repeatedly called for the “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program, insisting that Tehran must never obtain a nuclear weapon.
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Earlier in June, US and Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, reportedly to slow its nuclear progress.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is entirely for civilian purposes and that it has never conducted a nuclear test, according to the Carnegie Endowment’s Ankit Panda.
