In the United States pressure is building on the Trump administration to end Washington\u2019s continued ambiguity over Israel\u2019s nuclear weapons programme.<\/p>\n
Writing<\/a> to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 33 Representatives of Congress have accused the Trump administration of not adequately addressing nuclear dangers over the US-Israel war with Iran, which they described as a conflict where multiple nuclear-armed states \u201care directly involved in or immediately adjacent to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe risks of miscalculation, escalation, and nuclear use in this environment are not theoretical. American service members continue to be deployed throughout the region. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to be fully informed about the nuclear balance in the Middle East, the risk of escalation by any party to this conflict, and the administration\u2019s planning and contingencies for such scenarios. We do not believe we have received that information.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter notes that the US acknowledges the nuclear arsenals of Britain, France, Russia, China, Pakistan, India, and North Korea, regardless of them being considered allies or not. Yet, when it comes to Israel, Trump is fighting \u201cside by side with a country whose potential nuclear weapons program the United States government officially refuses to acknowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n The US lawmakers call on the White House to \u201c\u2026 hold Israel to the same standard of transparency that the United States expects from any other country that may be pursuing or retaining nuclear weapons capability.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel has never publicly acknowledged its nuclear weapons programme, which, like India and Pakistan, was developed outside the framework of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It\u2019s believed\u00a0to have around 90 nuclear warheads with capabilities to launch them from land, sea, and air. It\u2019s also believed to be producing plutonium for weapons purposes.<\/p>\n Highlighted in the letter, evidence of Israel\u2019s nuclear status includes references to the testimony and technical details provided by Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu to the Times newspaper in 1986, declassified US intelligence reports, Congressional hearings, as well as comments made by Israeli government officials.<\/p>\n The willingness by US lawmakers to criticise Israel and highlight the nuclear hypocrisy at the heart of the US-Israeli war on Iran is significant. It comes at a time when US support for Israel is dropping following its\u00a0genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and aggression against Iran and Lebanon. In April, polling<\/a> found\u00a0that 60 percent of US adults have an unfavourable view of Israel, up from 53 percent last year. Among those aged 18-29, unfavourability stood at 75%.\u00a0<\/p>\n The hypocrisy at the heart of Israel\u2019s undisclosed nuclear arsenal has been further exposed by the recent global crisis caused by the illegal attacks on Iran by the US and Israel. Iran has engaged with international agreements like the JCPOA and the NPT, yet has been attacked twice by the US and Israel while in negotiations over its nuclear programme.<\/p>\n