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In a move stirring global concern, US President Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing -- a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from Iran. Tehran condemned the move as “irresponsible”, calling it a threat to international peace. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “A bully resuming tests of atomic weapons is the same bully demonising our peaceful nuclear program.” The US last conducted a nuclear test in 1992, marking over three decades of restraint. Trump’s latest demand signals what experts see as a deliberate assertion of American strategic power amid rising nuclear competition with Russia and China. Also Read | 'No Choice!': Trump Announces 'Immediate' Testing Of Nuclear Weapons With A Russia & China Mention Iran’s Anger and Old Scars Tensions between Washington and Tehran are already running high. In June, US B-2 bombers struck Iranian nuclear sites, reviving bitter memories of American aggression. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has branded the United States as the “Great Satan” Race Among Nuclear Powers Trump’s remarks also referred to the nuclear buildup by China and Russia, describing China as “a distant third, but catching up within five years.” Analysts warn that Beijing’s rapid modernisation of its nuclear arsenal could heighten tensions around Taiwan and beyond. Meanwhile, Russia has flaunted its own nuclear might-testing new weapons like the Burevestnik missile and the Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo, which is said to trigger massive radioactive ocean waves. The End of America’s ‘Unipolar Moment’ Experts argue that Trump’s aggressive nuclear stance highlights a shift from the post-Cold War unipolar world, when the US stood unchallenged after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. That dominance began to wane by the late 2000s, as China’s rise, Russia’s resurgence and the influence of regional powers reshaped global politics. The 2008 financial crisis further exposed weaknesses in the US economy, eroding confidence in American leadership. Challenges like climate change, pandemics and cyber warfare have since demanded greater international cooperation. A World on Edge Critics now warn that Trump’s push to restart nuclear testing could “take a wrecking ball” to the fragile global order the US once built. As nuclear powers flex their arsenals, the world faces a chilling reminder: the doomsday weapons once locked away in history may soon be back in play.
