In the United States pressure is building on the Trump administration to end Washington’s continued ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear weapons programme.
Writing to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 33 Representatives of Congress have accused the Trump administration of not adequately addressing nuclear dangers over the US-Israel war with Iran, which they described as a conflict where multiple nuclear-armed states “are directly involved in or immediately adjacent to.”
“The risks of miscalculation, escalation, and nuclear use in this environment are not theoretical. American service members continue to be deployed throughout the region. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to be fully informed about the nuclear balance in the Middle East, the risk of escalation by any party to this conflict, and the administration’s planning and contingencies for such scenarios. We do not believe we have received that information.”
The letter notes that the US acknowledges the nuclear arsenals of Britain, France, Russia, China, Pakistan, India, and North Korea, regardless of them being considered allies or not. Yet, when it comes to Israel, Trump is fighting “side by side with a country whose potential nuclear weapons program the United States government officially refuses to acknowledge.”
The US lawmakers call on the White House to “… hold Israel to the same standard of transparency that the United States expects from any other country that may be pursuing or retaining nuclear weapons capability.”
Israel has never publicly acknowledged its nuclear weapons programme, which, like India and Pakistan, was developed outside the framework of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It’s believed to have around 90 nuclear warheads with capabilities to launch them from land, sea, and air. It’s also believed to be producing plutonium for weapons purposes.
Highlighted in the letter, evidence of Israel’s nuclear status includes references to the testimony and technical details provided by Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu to the Times newspaper in 1986, declassified US intelligence reports, Congressional hearings, as well as comments made by Israeli government officials.
The willingness by US lawmakers to criticise Israel and highlight the nuclear hypocrisy at the heart of the US-Israeli war on Iran is significant. It comes at a time when US support for Israel is dropping following its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and aggression against Iran and Lebanon. In April, polling found that 60 percent of US adults have an unfavourable view of Israel, up from 53 percent last year. Among those aged 18-29, unfavourability stood at 75%.
The hypocrisy at the heart of Israel’s undisclosed nuclear arsenal has been further exposed by the recent global crisis caused by the illegal attacks on Iran by the US and Israel. Iran has engaged with international agreements like the JCPOA and the NPT, yet has been attacked twice by the US and Israel while in negotiations over its nuclear programme.
Despite this diplomatic engagement, Britain continues to criticise Iran over its nuclear programme. In his recent speech to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York, British government minister Steven Doughty MP accused Iran of “non-compliance with its safeguards obligations” and labelled the country’s nuclear programme as one of the “major nuclear proliferation challenges.” He did not mention Israel’s undisclosed nuclear weapons or its illegal attacks against Iran and its nuclear facilities. Doughty added that a diplomatic settlement to Iran’s nuclear programme was needed and that Britain is in support of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones.
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said:
“It’s encouraging to see steps being taken in the US to finally end decades of political ambiguity over one of the world’s worst kept secret. Israel’s nuclear weapons are a major block to a nuclear weapons-free Middle East and to a long-lasting peace settlement in the region. Possessing nuclear weapons – backed up by the diplomatic, financial and military support of the US – allows Israel to act with impunity, conventionally attacking, occupying, and destroying neighbouring countries for decades. If Britain is serious about nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, and the establishment of Nuclear-Weapons-Free-Zones, it can start by dropping the hypocrisy and finally call out Israel’s rogue nuclear status.”