Overview
- President Donald Trump said he directed an immediate restart of U.S. nuclear testing, asserting that Russia, China, North Korea and Pakistan are secretly conducting underground tests.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified the planned activity as system or “noncritical” tests that do not involve nuclear explosions.
- China publicly denied violating the testing moratorium and urged Washington to uphold its suspension of nuclear tests.
- Russia signaled it would respond if the long‑standing moratorium is broken, as experts warned renewed U.S. testing could spur wider testing and strain non‑proliferation agreements.
- Officials have not provided a timeline or operational details, and the United States has not carried out a nuclear explosive test since 1992 despite signing—but not ratifying—the Comprehensive Nuclear‑Test‑Ban Treaty.