IAEA chief condemns Trump’s nuclear test plan
US President Donald Trump’s decision to resume nuclear weapon testing is indicative of a deepening global crisis and weakens the international system of security and peace, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has said.
Speaking to France’s LCI TV channel on Tuesday, Grossi described Trump’s announcement as a “manifestation of profound unease, tension, and increasing fragmentation,” adding that it undermines both global peace and the non-proliferation regime.
Last week, Trump ordered the US Department of War to begin preparations for nuclear testing, claiming that the US is “the only country that doesn’t test” and accusing Russia and China of conducting “secret” nuclear explosions. Both Moscow and Beijing have refuted the allegations.
Grossi questioned the veracity of Trump’s claims, emphasizing that any nuclear detonations by other nations would be detected by the international monitoring system established under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The IAEA chief noted that the organization responsible for overseeing compliance “can immediately record such phenomena.”
Grossi called for the restoration of the United Nations’ role in maintaining global peace and safeguarding the nuclear non-proliferation system amid rising tensions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has so far refrained from commenting on Trump’s statements, explaining that Moscow is still waiting for “clarifications from the American side.” He stressed that neither Russia nor China had resumed nuclear testing and both remain committed to their obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Trump’s announcement came after Russia conducted a series of tests, including the launch of its new Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater drone. However, neither of these trials involved actual nuclear detonations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow would consider resuming the testing of nuclear weapons only if other nuclear powers officially abandon the moratorium.
