ALBAWABA- U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated the United States’ first underground nuclear test in more than three decades on Tuesday, framing it as a demonstration of American military dominance.
The detonation at the Nevada National Security Site produced a 4.2 magnitude seismic event, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, drawing swift criticism from allies and adversaries alike.
The subcritical test, using non-explosive fissile materials to simulate warhead performance without a full nuclear detonation, marked a symbolic departure from the post-Cold War nuclear-testing moratorium and the spirit of the 1992 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which the U.S. signed but never ratified.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the test as “a routine stockpile stewardship exercise” necessary for modernizing the arsenal amid perceived threats from China and Russia.
Former President Barack Obama called the move “reckless saber-rattling,” while United Nations Security Council members, at Beijing’s request, convened an emergency session.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia condemned the test as “hypocrisy,” citing U.S. pressure on North Korea’s nuclear program.
Domestically, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded hearings, warning that NATO relations could be strained after French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the test as “a step backward for humanity.”
Trump’s announcement came just three days after a televised interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, in which he boasted about the U.S. stockpile’s destructive potential. Speaking at a Mar-a-Lago rally Monday, he doubled down: “They said we couldn’t do it — but America tests first, wins always.”
Environmental watchdogs reported elevated radiation traces near the Nevada site, though the Energy Department insisted levels remain “negligible.”
