UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations strongly rebuked any notion of resuming nuclear weapons tests, with Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq warning on Thursday that such actions are unacceptable “under any circumstances.” Haq reiterated the position of Secretary-General António Guterres, who has repeatedly stressed that current nuclear risks are already “alarmingly high” and that steps increasing the likelihood of miscalculation or escalation must be avoided.
The statement follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive earlier Thursday for the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing in order to restore “parity” with other nuclear powers. While details of the intended tests—such as whether they would be explosive, subcritical, or flight tests—remain unclear, the announcement has triggered sharp international backlash.
In response, the head of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) issued his own warning, declaring that any explosive nuclear test “would be harmful and destabilising” for global non-proliferation efforts and international peace and security. He emphasized that CTBTO’s global monitoring system is prepared to detect and report any such tests, and urged world leaders to commit to ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) as a pathway to reinforcing the norm against testing.
