(MENAFN) The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has condemned US President Donald Trump’s decision to restart nuclear weapon testing, warning it threatens global security and undermines the non-proliferation system.

Speaking to France’s LCI TV, Grossi described the announcement as a sign of rising international tension and fragmentation, emphasizing that it weakens both peace and the global nuclear monitoring framework. He questioned Trump’s claims that Russia and China are secretly testing nuclear weapons, noting that such detonations would be immediately detected by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty’s monitoring system.

Grossi called for a renewed role for the United Nations in safeguarding peace and the non-proliferation regime. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is awaiting further clarification from the US, affirming that neither Russia nor China has resumed nuclear testing and both remain committed to the treaty.

Trump’s announcement followed recent Russian tests of weapons like the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater drone, which did not involve nuclear detonations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow would only resume nuclear tests if other nations officially abandon the testing moratorium.

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