Former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Pakistan is among several countries actively conducting nuclear tests, as he defended Washington’s reported decision to consider resuming its own nuclear testing program. Trump made the remarks during an interview where he discussed global security, defense spending, and the U.S.’s military posture against its adversaries.
In the interview, Trump argued that other nations—including Pakistan, China, and Russia—have continued to modernize and test their nuclear capabilities, while the United States, under existing restrictions, has refrained from doing so. He said this imbalance, in his view, puts America “at a strategic disadvantage.”
“They’re all doing it—Pakistan’s doing it, Russia’s doing it, China’s doing it. Why shouldn’t we?” Trump reportedly said, insisting that renewed testing would “ensure the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.”
The statement has stirred international concern, with several non-proliferation experts warning that any U.S. resumption of nuclear testing could trigger a global arms race and undermine decades of diplomatic efforts under treaties like the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Pakistan has not conducted a nuclear test since 1998, when it carried out its first and only series of detonations in response to India’s Pokhran-II tests. Officials in Islamabad have not responded to Trump’s latest remarks.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Pentagon have not confirmed any formal plans to restart underground nuclear testing. However, Trump’s comments have renewed debate within Washington over whether the U.S. should modernize its deterrence capabilities in light of advancing nuclear technologies in rival nations.
Experts say Trump’s remarks could complicate ongoing diplomatic efforts to strengthen global non-proliferation frameworks. “Such statements, even without policy backing, send the wrong message and can erode trust among nations,” said a senior analyst at the Arms Control Association.
The Biden administration, for its part, has maintained its commitment to the testing moratorium, though it continues to invest heavily in simulation-based testing and modernization of nuclear weapons systems.
Trump’s comments come amid rising global tensions and an intensifying geopolitical competition between major powers — a context in which nuclear policy discussions have again taken center stage.