Congress is moving to halt funding for a global nuclear arms pact until the Trump administration assures lawmakers that China and Russia will be held accountable for a massive expansion in their nuclear arsenals, according to a copy of the new legislation viewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
When it comes to nuclear arms control, China is great at playing hard to get. Beijing is the elusive beauty, a difficult but attractive target for those who seek nuclear disarmament. Powerful yet mysterious, shrouding its nuclear program in a haze of opacity, the Chinese government never actually gives its pursuers what they want. And China knows that only makes them more interested. Indeed, Beijing leads on its suitors with seductive promises of reducing its arsenal of nuclear weapons, only to demand more in return from other states before taking any steps. And then the cycle begins anew, with no fewer nuclear weapons in China.
Iranian leaders announced on Wednesday that the country would increase production of enriched uranium, the key component in a nuclear weapon, as payback for the Trump administration’s recent decision to increase sanctions on Tehran and cripple its lucrative oil industry.
Rarely stated is that, even if a nuclear-free world were possible, it would be a bad idea.
A nuclear-armed Iran would be far more dangerous than a nuclear-armed North Korea.
Iranian leaders have authorized and begun spinning a set of advanced nuclear centrifuges to mark the country’s Iran National Nuclear Day, which leaders said is in honor “of all the jihadi efforts of our country’s nuclear industrialists.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would not commit to ending a series of waivers issued by the Trump administration that have permitted Iran to engage in some its most contested nuclear work, including at a secretive military site that once housed the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons program.
The infrastructure and personnel tied to Iran’s past nuclear weapons work continue to operate under the radar, according to senior Trump administration officials, who announced sanctions on a host of individuals and organizations that have worked to keep critical infrastructure of Iran’s nuclear weapons program in place.
President Trump should be commended for walking away from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s proposed nuclear deal.
