 "The confusion over Trump’s intention started minutes before he held a critical meeting in South Korea with Chinese President Xi Jinping. File image/AP")
US President Donald Trump, in a recent long interview, said that both Pakistan and China have been secretly conducting nuclear tests — a revelation that could have serious regional implications, particularly for India, which borders both nations.
He also announced that the United States would resume its own nuclear testing after a 33-year pause to “keep pace” with other powers like Russia, China, and North Korea.
‘Pakistan’s been testing,’ says Trump
“Russia’s testing and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it,” Trump said. “We’re an open society. We talk about it… They don’t have reporters that are going to be writing about it. Certainly, North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan’s been testing.”
Trump alleged that several nuclear-armed nations are conducting underground tests away from global scrutiny. “They test way underground where people don’t know what’s happening. You just feel a little vibration,” he said, adding that such detonations can escape detection by global monitoring systems.
Defends US nuclear testing plans
Defending his decision to lift the moratorium on US testing, Trump said, “We’re the only country that doesn’t test — and I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test. You have to see how they work.”
He further claimed, “We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world 150 times.”
‘Prevented nuclear war between India and Pakistan’: Trump
Trump also reiterated his earlier claim that he had prevented a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
“India was going to have a nuclear war with Pakistan,” he said. “If Donald Trump didn’t get involved, many millions of people would have been dead. I told both of them, if you guys don’t stop, you will not do any business with the US.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHe credited his use of “tariff diplomacy” and trade pressure for helping de-escalate tensions following India’s Operation Sindoor — precision strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
India denies Trump’s mediation claim
India, however, has repeatedly denied Trump’s version of events, asserting that the ceasefire was achieved through direct military communication channels without any third-party mediation.