How Israel's Iran strikes might supercharge the global nuclear arms race
There is growing jitteriness among America's allies, too, after President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned Washington's postwar commitment to defending them. That has 'created additional uncertainty,' SIPRI said, and calls for these countries to develop their own arsenals.
South Korea was always told it did not need its own weapons because it was protected by Washington's 'nuclear umbrella.' Now — after Trump openly suggested that it might have to pay billions of dollars for U.S. military support — South Koreans increasingly want their own warheads, with a poll by Gallup Korea last year putting support at 72.8%.
There's a smaller but growing debate in Germany, which signed a treaty upon unification in 1990 saying it was never allowed to own nuclear weapons. The pollster Civey found in March that 38% back the idea.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in March that the 'profound change of American geopolitics' means his country must assess nuclear options. And even Japan — where such a measure is taboo after the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of War War II — a once verboten debate has stirred discussion of the issue.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an ex-commanding officer of the U.K.'s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, believes Israel had no choice but to attack Iran, given it believed it was about to produce a bomb. He also thinks nuclear weapons have historically contributed to global peace.
Nevertheless, the global current picture worries him gravely.
'As long as there is parity and equilibrium between the superpowers, then it will carry on being the guarantor of peace,' he said of nuclear weapons. 'However, all this proliferation is creating a non-equilibrium.'
While the weapons programs of Washington and even Moscow may be 'robust enough to make sure a misjudgment, an accident or a misinterpretation doesn't lead to somebody firing off a weapon,' he said, 'I would not be so confident with some of the others: Iran, potentially Pakistan and particularly North Korea.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump requests NSC to be prepared as he returns early from G7 summit, Fox News reports
June 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has requested that the national security council be prepared in the situation room as he returns early from the G7 summit in Canada Monday night, the co-host of Fox News' "FOX & Friends" program Lawrence Jones said on X.
Leader Live
33 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Trump says US-UK deal ‘done' as steel tariffs still up in air
The Prime Minister said the move marked a 'very important day' for both sides as the US president announced the agreement was 'done' in a joint appearance on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada. The deal will grant British carmakers a reprieve by the end of June as levies drop from 25% to 10%, while the aerospace sector will face no import taxes. But tariffs for the steel industry, which is of key economic importance to the UK, will stand at 25% for now rather than falling to zero as originally agreed. This is less than the US global rate of 50% for steel and aluminium. The Prime Minister described the pact as a 'sign of strength' in the transatlantic relationship, while Mr Trump praised Sir Keir as a 'friend' who had done a 'great job' securing the deal that eluded leaders before him. Following the hastily arranged meeting, the two leaders posed for pictures outside the G7 venue with the signed documents, which the US president dropped before Sir Keir picked them up. Mr Trump also mistakenly referred to the pact as a 'trade agreement with the European Union.' In an impromptu media spray, the US president was asked whether steel tariffs would be eliminated, to which he replied: 'We're gonna let you have that information in a little while.' The Department for Business and Trade said the two leaders had pledged to 'make progress towards 0% tariffs on core steel products as agreed'. Asked whether Britain would be shielded from future tariffs, Mr Trump said the UK was protected 'because I like them'. 'The UK is very well protected, you know why? Because I like them. That's their ultimate protection,' he said. The PM told the US President: 'Donald, thank you very much… A really important agreement. And so this is a very good day for both of our countries, a real sign of strength.' The terms of the deal were agreed in May, but neither Washington nor London had yet taken the necessary steps to reduce tariffs. Reports have since suggested the US could also push for the NHS to pay more for American drugs in exchange for softened tariffs, with White House sources telling the Telegraph the service would be expected to pay higher prices. Downing Street insisted the Government will 'only ever sign trade agreements that align with the UK's national interests' but did not rule out discussing the issue with Washington. The Prime Minister was also insistent that a nuclear submarine deal between the UK, US and Australia, called Aukus, is 'very important' to both the United States and Britain. He said it was proceeding despite Washington launching a review into the pact, which is worth around £176 billion and believed to be aimed at countering China. He said: 'We're proceeding with that, it's a really important deal to both of us. 'I think the president is doing a review, we did a review when we came into government, and that makes good sense to me.' Sir Keir and his fellow world leaders are locked in a week of intense diplomacy amid the spiralling conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister joined Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Carney and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a glass of wine and informal discussions on Sunday night. Downing Street dismissed suggestions that the get-together had been a 'Trump-handling' exercise to prove the summit against the US president's unpredictability as leaders seek to put on a united front in the face of heightened global instability. On Monday, splits opened up in the response to Russia, which Mr Trump suggested should not have been kicked out of the former G8 following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The US leader also signalled his reluctance to impose further American sanctions on Moscow despite a European push to heap more pressure on Vladimir Putin as he resists calls for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. Standing alongside Sir Keir, who had earlier said G7 allies would seek to ratchet up measures against the Kremlin, Mr Trump said sanctions were 'not that easy' and would cost Washington 'a tremendous amount of money'. Asked whether Washington supported European efforts to impose further measures, he told reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with the UK Prime Minister: 'Well Europe is saying that, but they haven't done it yet. 'Let's see them do it first.' Asked why he wanted to wait to impose sanctions, Mr Trump said: 'Because I'm waiting to see whether or not a deal is done… and don't forget, you know, sanctions cost us a lot of money.'
Powys County Times
33 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Trump says US-UK deal ‘done' as steel tariffs still up in air
Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer have finalised a US-UK deal that will slash trade barriers on goods from both countries, but leaves the future of tariffs on British steel up in the air. The Prime Minister said the move marked a 'very important day' for both sides as the US president announced the agreement was 'done' in a joint appearance on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada. The deal will grant British carmakers a reprieve by the end of June as levies drop from 25% to 10%, while the aerospace sector will face no import taxes. But tariffs for the steel industry, which is of key economic importance to the UK, will stand at 25% for now rather than falling to zero as originally agreed. This is less than the US global rate of 50% for steel and aluminium. The Prime Minister described the pact as a 'sign of strength' in the transatlantic relationship, while Mr Trump praised Sir Keir as a 'friend' who had done a 'great job' securing the deal that eluded leaders before him. Following the hastily arranged meeting, the two leaders posed for pictures outside the G7 venue with the signed documents, which the US president dropped before Sir Keir picked them up. Mr Trump also mistakenly referred to the pact as a 'trade agreement with the European Union.' In an impromptu media spray, the US president was asked whether steel tariffs would be eliminated, to which he replied: 'We're gonna let you have that information in a little while.' The Department for Business and Trade said the two leaders had pledged to 'make progress towards 0% tariffs on core steel products as agreed'. Asked whether Britain would be shielded from future tariffs, Mr Trump said the UK was protected 'because I like them'. 'The UK is very well protected, you know why? Because I like them. That's their ultimate protection,' he said. The PM told the US President: 'Donald, thank you very much… A really important agreement. And so this is a very good day for both of our countries, a real sign of strength.' The terms of the deal were agreed in May, but neither Washington nor London had yet taken the necessary steps to reduce tariffs. Reports have since suggested the US could also push for the NHS to pay more for American drugs in exchange for softened tariffs, with White House sources telling the Telegraph the service would be expected to pay higher prices. Downing Street insisted the Government will 'only ever sign trade agreements that align with the UK's national interests' but did not rule out discussing the issue with Washington. The Prime Minister was also insistent that a nuclear submarine deal between the UK, US and Australia, called Aukus, is 'very important' to both the United States and Britain. He said it was proceeding despite Washington launching a review into the pact, which is worth around £176 billion and believed to be aimed at countering China. He said: 'We're proceeding with that, it's a really important deal to both of us. 'I think the president is doing a review, we did a review when we came into government, and that makes good sense to me.' Sir Keir and his fellow world leaders are locked in a week of intense diplomacy amid the spiralling conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister joined Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Carney and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a glass of wine and informal discussions on Sunday night. Downing Street dismissed suggestions that the get-together had been a 'Trump-handling' exercise to prove the summit against the US president's unpredictability as leaders seek to put on a united front in the face of heightened global instability. On Monday, splits opened up in the response to Russia, which Mr Trump suggested should not have been kicked out of the former G8 following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The US leader also signalled his reluctance to impose further American sanctions on Moscow despite a European push to heap more pressure on Vladimir Putin as he resists calls for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. Standing alongside Sir Keir, who had earlier said G7 allies would seek to ratchet up measures against the Kremlin, Mr Trump said sanctions were 'not that easy' and would cost Washington 'a tremendous amount of money'. Asked whether Washington supported European efforts to impose further measures, he told reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with the UK Prime Minister: 'Well Europe is saying that, but they haven't done it yet. 'Let's see them do it first.'
