Trump administration discussed conducting nuclear test in US: Report

The United States on May 15 discussed whether to conduct a nuclear test following accusations from Trump administration officials that Russia and China are conducting low-yield tests, according to a Washington Post report. The possibility of conducting a nuclear test for the first time since 1992 was discussed during a meeting of high-level officials representing various national security agencies. 

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According to reports, there is no substantial evidence to prove whether Russia and China are conducting low-yield nuclear tests but experts say that if it's true the United States could conduct their own rapid test which would give Washington an upper hand from negotiating point of view as it seeks a new trilateral arms treaty to regulate the nuclear of the three biggest powers. 

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According to the US daily, the officials did not reach any conclusion during the meeting of whether or not the United States should conduct a nuclear test. Some also suggested that doing so will lead to another arms race and may encourage other countries to follow suit. 

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Nuclear arsenal

The United States remains the only country to have ever used a nuclear weapon during wartime and it is also the nation with reportedly one of the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. According to reports, since 1945 more than 2,000 nuclear tests have been conducted by eight countries, of which the United States alone conducted over 1,000 tests. 

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(Image Credit: AP)