President Trump directed the Pentagon to resume testing of nuclear weapons "on an equal basis" with other countries' tests, possibly ending a decades-long U.S. pause that stretches back to the end of the Cold War.

Washington

President Trump announced that the United States will immediately resume nuclear weapons testing, ending a moratorium that has been in place since 1992. The decision was made public via social media just before a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with Trump citing recent Russian nuclear tests as a motivating factor.

The Kremlin expressed surprise at the move, noting the existence of a global moratorium on such tests. Experts have raised concerns about the feasibility and potential consequences of resuming testing, including the possibility of triggering a new wave of nuclear tests worldwide. The announcement coincided with trade discussions between the U.S. and China, resulting in agreements on soybean purchases, fentanyl ingredient controls, and rare earth mineral exports.

Trump orders Pentagon to restart nuclear weapons testing

President Trump returned today from his week-long trip to Asia. The president got the world's attention overnight, announcing on social media that the United States will immediately resume nuclear weapons testing, ending a decades-long moratorium. Senior White House correspondent Ed O'Keefe has the details. The last time the U.S. conducted a nuclear test was in 1992, when a bomb detonated beneath the Nevada desert. But now President Trump wants to test again, making the shocking announcement on social media just minutes before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It had to do with others. They seem to all be nuclear testing. He explained it's partly in response to Russia recently testing a nuclear-powered cruise missile and nuclear-powered torpedo that can travel up to 115 miles per hour. We've halted it years, many years ago, but with others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also. The Kremlin expressed surprise, noting there's a worldwide moratorium on nuclear testing. One test alone is estimated to cost $140 million. Arms control expert Daryl Kimball says the president's plans aren't realistic. For a full-scale nuclear test explosion underground, it would probably take, I would estimate, 36 months, by which time other countries might start preparing, and we would be looking at a chain reaction of nuclear testing, the likes of which we have not seen in more than a quarter century. As of this year, Russia has more than 5,500 nuclear warheads. The U.S., more than 5,200, followed by the Chinese, who Trump warned are planning to catch up. The subject didn't come up during the highly anticipated encounter between the two leaders. The Chinese agreed, according to Trump, to resume purchases of American soybeans and to curb the outflow of ingredients to make illegal fentanyl. On the scale from zero to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12. I think it was a 12. Trump says China also plans to allow more exports of rare earth minerals used to build electric cars, planes and satellites, and in return, the president's slashing tariffs on China by 10 percentage points. Chinese state media says Xi agreed the two leaders reached a consensus on important economic and trade issues. Maurice? OK, Ed O'Keefe for the White House. Thank you.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the resumption of nuclear weapons tests for the first time since 1992. A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia had successfully tested a nuclear-powered super torpedo.

Trump orders nuke tests after Russia tests nuclear-powered torpedo

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New York

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Jerusalem

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President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military on Thursday (October 30) to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump tells Pentagon to resume testing U.S. nuclear weapons

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Breakdown