James M. Acton | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Resuming the testing of nuclear weapons would be a step toward nuclear anarchy. Fortunately, Trump has a way out. Exploding warheads isn’t the only way to “test” nuclear weapons. The United States could test components or subsystems (a possibility alluded to by Energy Secretary Chris Wright), or it could flight-test nuclear-capable missiles. (Indeed, it does both these already.) Trump should capitalize on this ambiguity by announcing a path forward that doesn’t involve detonating a nuclear warhead.
Vladimir Soldatkin and Mark Trevelyan | Reuters/Yahoo
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his top officials on Wednesday to draft proposals for a possible test of nuclear weapons, something Moscow has not done since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The order - responding to President Donald Trump's announcement last week that the U.S. would resume testing - was a further signal that the two countries with the world's largest nuclear arsenals are rapidly nearing a step that could sharply escalate geopolitical tensions.
Heejin Kim | Reuters/Yahoo
The South Korean-owned Philly Shipyard in the United States does not currently have the capability to build a nuclear-powered submarine, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on Thursday during a parliamentary hearing. His remarks come after U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on social media last week that he had given approval for South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine and that it would be built in the Philadelphia shipyard.
Lee Minji | Yonhap News
North Korea appears to be ready to promptly carry out what would be its seventh nuclear test should leader Kim Jong-un make a decision on it, the defense intelligence agency was quoted as saying by lawmakers Wednesday… Pyongyang last conducted an underground nuclear test in 2017.
Amira El-Fekki | Newsweek
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the country’s defense and missile capabilities have improved since the 12-day war in June, also sending a message to the United States that Tehran will not discuss its missile program or regional activities in any future negotiations between the two sides. "The missile and regional issues have always been brought up, and our position has always been clear: if any talks are to take place, they will be limited solely to the nuclear issue," Araghchi said on Wednesday, according to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).
Kim Tong-Hyung | AP News
North Korea on Thursday denounced the Trump administration’s latest sanctions targeting cybercrimes that help finance its illicit nuclear weapons program, accusing the United States of harboring “wicked” hostility toward Pyongyang and vowing unspecified countermeasures. The statement by a North Korean vice foreign minister came after the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on eight individuals and two firms, including North Korean bankers, for allegedly laundering money from cybercrime schemes.