Iran has lashed out at the United States after President Donald Trump announced that Washington would restart nuclear weapons testing for the first time in more than three decades.
The sharp response from Tehran came hours after Trump revealed he had ordered his “Secretary of War” to resume nuclear tests in a move framed as necessary to counter Russia and China.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday night, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of putting global peace at risk and abandoning long-standing arms control practices. He said the order reinforced Iran’s view that the US remains the most dangerous nuclear power in the world.
“By changing the name of his Defense Ministry to the Ministry of War, the nuclear-armed bully has restarted its nuclear weapons tests,” Araghchi wrote, calling the move both reckless and provocative. He said Trump’s directive made clear that the United States “is mobilizing to expand its nuclear power while claiming to defend peace.”
Trump announced the decision ahead of a scheduled meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping, arguing that nuclear testing was needed to “balance power” against rival nations. The US last carried out a nuclear test on September 23, 1992, under the administration of George H. W. Bush.
Araghchi accused Washington of double standards, saying the US was trying to undermine Iran’s nuclear activities while expanding its own arsenal.
“The same oppressor seeks to portray Iran’s peaceful nuclear program as dangerous while threatening to attack our nuclear facilities,” he said. “These actions are clear and deliberate provocations.”
Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful and for energy generation, stressing that its activities are monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“Iran has always denied that its nuclear program is military in nature,” Araghchi added. “As a member of the NPT, we have the right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy under IAEA supervision.”
He accused the US, Israel, and European nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France of applying pressure and demanding full access to Iran’s nuclear sites.
“These countries demand the shutdown of our nuclear program and unrestricted access for IAEA inspectors to all our facilities,” he said.
Araghchi urged the world to condemn the US move, warning it threatens global peace.
“The announcement to resume nuclear testing is an act of regression and recklessness, posing a grave threat to global peace and security,” he said.
Trump defended his stance in a separate post, saying he had no choice but to upgrade America’s nuclear arsenal and cautioning that China could soon match US nuclear strength.
“I had no option but to upgrade our nuclear weapons during my first term,” Trump said, acknowledging “their immense destructive power.”
Araghchi argued the explanation only revealed Washington’s “obsession with military dominance.”
“This decision exposes Washington’s true character, a nation addicted to war and nuclear supremacy,” he wrote.
He closed by calling on global institutions and governments to push back against the US directive.
“The world must respond with a firm and unified stance. This is not just a threat to Iran, it is a threat to all humanity,” he said, ending with a warning that while America halted nuclear tests three decades ago, “its appetite for destruction clearly never ended.”
