US announcement to resume nuclear testing threat to international peace: Iran FM

ISLAMABAD: The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, early on Friday, said that the US announcement to resume nuclear testing is a threat to international peace.

The Iranian FM called on the international community to unite and hold the United States “accountable for normalizing the proliferation” of nuclear weapons, a day after US President Donald Trump instructed the Department of War to start testing of atomic weapons.

Trump’s decision came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, in defiance of Washington's warnings. "Because of other countries' testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," Trump said yesterday in a Truth Social post that specifically referenced Russia and China.

In a post on X today, the Iranian FM called out the US and said, “Having rebranded its ‘Department of Defense’ as the ‘Department of War’, a nuclear-armed bully is resuming testing of atomic weapons.”

Araghchi said that the “same bully,” while referring to the US, was “demonizing Iran's peaceful nuclear program and threatening further strikes on our safeguarded nuclear facilities, all in blatant violation of international law.” 

 “Make no mistake: The US is the world’s most dangerous Proliferation risk,” he said. 

The Iranian FM said that the announcement by Trump was a “regressive and irresponsible move and a serious threat to international peace and security.”

“The world must unite to hold the US accountable for normalizing the proliferation of such heinous weapons,” he said.

In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran. The US briefly joined in, striking key Iranian nuclear facilities.

The war took place two days ahead of a planned sixth round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, which had begun in April.

Nuclear talks have been derailed since Iran said it was open to negotiations only if the US provided guarantees of no military action.