US President Donald Trump has claimed that Pakistan and China are covertly testing nuclear weapons, suggesting that other nations, including Russia and North Korea are also conducting similar underground experiments.
In an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump defended his decision to authorize US nuclear testing after a 33-year moratorium, asserting that “others have been doing it all along.”
“Russia’s testing and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it,” Trump said.
“Certainly North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan’s been testing,” he added.
Trump’s remarks came as he justified his order for American forces to resume nuclear testing, breaking a moratorium observed since 1992.
He claimed countries possessing nuclear warheads have been conducting underground tests “they just don’t talk about.”
“They test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening. You feel a little bit of a vibration,” Trump said, implying that covert detonations could evade global detection.
Seismic monitoring stations worldwide are capable of identifying underground nuclear explosions through earthquake-like tremors, but Trump insisted that modern underground testing techniques could go undetected.
India–Pakistan on the Brink of Nuclear War, Says Trump
In the same interview, Trump made another explosive claim — that India and Pakistan were on the verge of a nuclear war in May, which he said he personally helped defuse.
“India was going to have a nuclear war with Pakistan… If Donald Trump didn’t get involved, many millions of people would have been dead,” he said, adding that he used trade and tariffs to push both nations toward peace.
According to Trump, he warned both Prime Ministers that they would “do no business with the U.S.” if they escalated.
ALSO READ: Tariff slash, cut on fentanyl charges: Behind Trump-Xi meeting
Trump’s statements have reignited debate on regional nuclear stability, particularly for India, which faces both Pakistan and China on its borders.
If true, covert testing by Islamabad and Beijing could alter the strategic balance in South Asia. India has not conducted a nuclear test since Pokhran-II in 1998, maintaining a “no-first-use” policy.
As of 2025, India’s estimated nuclear stockpile of around 180 warheads trails China’s 600, projected to reach 1,000 by 2030, and is on par with Pakistan’s 170.
China’s FOBS and Pakistan’s Tactical Nukes
Experts warn that China’s technological edge—including its Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) tested in 2021—poses a serious challenge to India’s missile defences.
FOBS allows nuclear warheads to enter partial orbit, circumventing traditional radar and interceptors such as India’s Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) system.
Meanwhile, Pakistan continues developing short-range tactical nuclear weapons designed for battlefield deployment.
Trump’s revelation that multiple countries may be testing nuclear weapons could potentially open a window for India to conduct its long-speculated Pokhran-III tests.
Such tests could validate thermonuclear designs and miniaturize warheads for Agni-VI ICBMs and K-5 submarine-launched missiles.
Doubts persist over the success of the 1998 Pokhran-II thermonuclear test, which DRDO scientist K. Santhanam had described as a “fizzle”, yielding only 10–15 kilotons instead of 200.
