Iran's foreign minister on Thursday torched a decision by US President Donald Trump to resume nuclear weapons tests after 33 years, saying the move exposes American bullying and hypocrisy after US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in June.
"Having rebranded its “Department of Defense” as the “Department of War”, a nuclear-armed bully is resuming testing of atomic weapons," Abbas Araghchi said on X on Friday, citing a social media post by Trump earlier yesterday.
Trump cited the arsenals of Russia and China as well as nuclear tests by unspecified other countries for ordering instructing the "Department of War" he recently rebranded to "start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis."
Arch-foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and Tehran hostage crisis, Iran and the United States have been locked in a tense standoff in the energy-rich Mideast for decades but relations exploded into open conflict in June.
Two months after the start of US-Iran talks aimed at resolving an impasse over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, Israel launched a surprise military campaign on Iran capped by US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and relations have soured in recent weeks as a diplomatic solution appears elusive.
"The same bully has been demonizing Iran's peaceful nuclear program and threatening further strikes on our safeguarded nuclear facilities, all in blatant violation of international law," Araghchi added.
"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."
Iran's economic woes and isolation have deepened since European-triggered UN sanctions resumed last month despite Chinese and Russian efforts to ban the maneuver codified by a mostly defunct 2015 nuclear deal Trump quit.
"The world must unite to hold the U.S. accountable for normalizing the proliferation of such heinous weapons," Araghchi said.
