The announcement came just minutes before Trump began a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, intensifying tensions between the world’s two largest powers.

According to White House officials, the decision aims to “ensure America’s nuclear readiness and deterrence capabilities” amid what they described as “growing threats from rival nations.”

The United States has not conducted a full-scale nuclear test since 1992, adhering instead to a voluntary moratorium under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which it signed but never ratified. Trump’s order effectively breaks with decades of bipartisan policy that favored simulation-based verification over live detonations.

International reaction was swift. The United Nations called for “immediate restraint,” while Russia and China condemned the move as “dangerous and destabilizing.” Arms control experts warned the decision could spark a new global arms race, undermining efforts to maintain nuclear non-proliferation and strategic stability.

Meanwhile, U.S. allies in Europe and Asia expressed concern, urging Washington to reconsider. “This is a step backward for global security,” one European diplomat said.

Trump, however, defended his decision on social media, saying America “will not fall behind” in nuclear capabilities.

If carried out, the tests would mark the first U.S. nuclear explosions in nearly a generation, reopening one of the most controversial chapters in modern defense policy.