US President Donald Trump has claimed that Pakistan is among a few countries conducting nuclear tests, saying he does not want America to be the only nation that does not.
Speaking on CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump said, “North Korea is testing, Pakistan is testing, but they don’t tell you about it.” The remark came when he was asked about his recent directive to the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing.
Trump had recently posted on social media that he instructed the Department of Defense to “immediately” restart nuclear testing. His statement sparked confusion over whether he planned to authorize America’s first nuclear detonation since 1992.
When asked about it, Trump said, “We have more nuclear weapons than any country. I think we should do something about disarmament. I’ve spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping about it.”
He continued, “We have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world 150 times. Russia has many, and China likely does too.”
When the interviewer asked why the US needed to test its weapons, Trump replied, “Because you have to see how they work. Russia announced it would test. North Korea keeps testing. Other countries are doing it. We are the only country that doesn’t. I don’t want us to be the only one not doing it.”
The host pointed out that apart from North Korea, no country is conducting nuclear tests, as Russia and China have not tested since the 1990s. Trump disagreed, saying, “Russia and China do it, you just don’t know. They do underground testing where no one can detect it.”
He added, “We are an open society. We talk about it. In Russia or China, there are no reporters to cover such things. You report it here, that’s why people know.”
Trump said the US must continue testing. “We need to test our weapons; otherwise, we don’t know if they work. North Korea does it. Pakistan does it. They don’t tell you. They do it deep underground where no one knows. You just feel a little tremor.”
He added that while he doesn’t want to use nuclear weapons, the US must remain prepared. “We don’t want to use them, but we have to make sure they work.”
Pakistan has not yet commented on Trump’s remarks.