Trump stirs tensions with surprise nuclear test order

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US President Donald Trump returned to Washington on Thursday after a surprise directive to begin nuclear weapons testing that set off new superpower tensions.

The announcement on social media was released just before Trump – who often boasts about being a peace president – left for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.

But Trump’s announcement didn’t elicit much response — particularly about whether he meant testing weapons systems or actually conducting test explosions, something the U.S. hasn’t done since 1992.

This appeared to alarm US foe Iran, which called the directive “irresponsible”.

Vice President J.D. Vance said the U.S. nuclear arsenal needed to be tested to make sure it was in fact “working properly,” but did not elaborate on what kind of tests Trump had ordered.

Vance told reporters at the White House that the president’s statement “speaks for itself.”

“It’s an important part of U.S. national security to make sure that this forking over nuclear weapons that we have actually works the right way, and it’s part of a test regime,” he added.

Nevertheless, Trump’s statement is tantamount to extraordinary nuclear saber-rattling.

Days after Russia announced it had tested a nuclear capability, a nuclear-powered cruise missile and a maritime drone.

“In order to test other countries’ programs, I have directed the War Department to test their nuclear weapons on an equal basis,” Trump said of the truth social.

Trump also claimed that the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country and that he acquired them in his first term as president.

However, this turned out to be false.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its latest annual report that Russia has 5,489 nuclear warheads, compared to 5,177 for the United States and 600 for China.

In his post, Trump said — minutes before his XI summit — that China is expected to “be there within 5 years.”

‘Nuclear-armed villains’

The Kremlin questioned whether Trump is well aware of Russia’s military activities.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the recent weapons drills “can in no way be interpreted as nuclear tests.”

“We hope to get this information right to President Trump.”

Peskov then indicated that Russia would conduct its own live warhead tests if Trump did so first.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun urged the United States to “absolutely refrain” from a global nuclear test ban.

Both countries observe a realism about testing nuclear warheads, although Russia and the United States regularly conduct military exercises involving nuclear-capable systems.

Trump’s directive to resume testing threatens Iran, whose foreign minister has called it “reactionary and irresponsible”, and a threat to international security.

“A nuclear-armed rogue is starting to test nuclear weapons. The same rogue is demonizing Iran’s peaceful nuclear program,” Abbas Aragchi posted on social media.

“Nuclear testing can never be allowed under any circumstances,” UN chief Antonio Guterres said through his deputy spokesman.

The United States has been a signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty since 1996, which bans all nuclear test explosions, whether for military or civilian purposes.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that it had been “many years” since the United States conducted a nuclear test, but it was “appropriate” to start again.

Further muddying the waters, Trump also repeated in his remarks to reporters an earlier claim that he wanted to negotiate with Russia and China on reducing their nuclear weapons forces.

“It would be a great thing to deny,” he said.

Last US Test in 1992

The United States conducted 1,054 nuclear tests between July 16, 1945, when the first test was conducted in New Mexico, and 1992, as well as two nuclear attacks on Japan during World War II.

It is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat.

The last US nuclear test detonation was in September 1992, with a 20 kiloton underground explosion at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.

Then-President George HW Bush imposed a moratorium on further testing in October 1992, which has been continued by successive administrations.

Nuclear testing was replaced by non-nuclear and mock experiments using advanced computer simulations.