Iran Slams Trump’s Nuclear Weapons Order: ‘Bully’

By Amir Daftari

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent order for the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing, describing the move as both “regressive” and “irresponsible,” while also calling the U.S. leader a “nuclear-armed bully.”

Araghchi’s condemnation, written on X on Friday, came in response to Trump’s announcement a day earlier calling for a return to nuclear tests “on an equal basis” with Russia, China and other nations he said were conducting similar activities.

The decision marks a dramatic escalation in the administration’s nuclear policy and risks deepening global tensions already strained by renewed hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

Newsweek has contacted the State Department and Iran’s Foreign Ministry for comment.

Why It Matters

The dispute highlights how fragile U.S.-Iran relations have become amid a worsening diplomatic climate. Long-standing adversaries since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the two nations have seen relations deteriorate further following a violent military exchange involving U.S. and Israeli forces against Iranian targets earlier this year.

Araghchi’s remarks underscore Tehran’s growing frustration as the likelihood of a negotiated nuclear settlement fades and the threat of renewed military confrontation looms large.

What To Know

In his Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump defended his directive to resume nuclear testing, arguing that the U.S. must “start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis” with rival powers.

He cited Russia’s and China’s modernization efforts as justification, claiming that other nations were already conducting nuclear activities that left the U.S. at a strategic disadvantage. The move, widely seen as an abandonment of long-standing arms control traditions, has alarmed diplomats and security analysts worldwide.

Responding on X, Araghchi accused Washington of hypocrisy and warned that Trump’s announcement signaled a dangerous step backward for global security.

“Having rebranded its ‘Department of Defense’ as the ‘Department of War,’ a nuclear-armed bully is resuming testing of atomic weapons,” he wrote, condemning the U.S. for reigniting the nuclear arms race.

Araghchi further charged that Washington’s actions amounted to a “blatant violation of international law” and accused the administration of threatening Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities under false pretenses.

He continued, “Make no mistake: The U.S. is the World’s Most Dangerous Proliferation Risk. The announcement of a resumption of nuclear tests is a regressive and irresponsible move and a serious threat to international peace and security.” In his post, Araghchi called on the international community to resist what he described as the U.S.’s normalization of nuclear proliferation.

U.S.-Iran Rift Deepens

The latest confrontation comes two months after U.S.-Iran talks collapsed over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program, which Iran says remains peaceful. Tensions escalated when Israel launched a surprise offensive on Iranian targets, followed by U.S. strikes on three key nuclear facilities. Tehran says these attacks confirm that Washington is pursuing aggression rather than diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Iran’s economy continues to suffer under renewed United Nations sanctions reinstated last month by European powers, despite objections from Russia and China. The sanctions, once lifted under a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from, have intensified Iran’s economic isolation.

What People Are Saying

Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and the host of The Iran Podcast, told Newsweek: “After Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran in June, Iran’s approach changed toward diplomacy.

Iranians seem to have lost hope in a diplomatic solution with the U.S. and Europe. They have shifted more to the East, strengthening ties with Russia and China, while preparing for more attacks from Israel and possibly the U.S.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Friday: “The world must unite to hold the U.S. accountable for normalizing the proliferation of such heinous weapons.”

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday: “Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”

What Happens Next

The Pentagon is expected to outline a timeline for the resumption of nuclear testing in the coming weeks, while Iran has signaled plans to raise the issue at the United Nations. Diplomatic channels between Washington and Tehran remain fragile, and both sides have confirmed that no new negotiations are scheduled.