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  • Most Americans See Iran as an Enemy but Doubt Trump’s Judgment on Military Force, AP-NORC Poll Finds

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — As the U.S. and Iran head into their next round of nuclear talks in Geneva, a new AP-NORC poll finds that many U.S. adults continue to view Iran’s nuclear program as a threat — but they also don’t have high trust in President Donald Trump’s judgment on the use of military force abroad.

    About half of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned that Iran’s nuclear program poses a direct threat to the United States, according to the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 3 in 10 are “moderately” concerned and only about 2 in 10 are “not very” concerned or “not concerned at all.”

    The survey was conducted Feb. 19-23, as military tensions built in the Middle East between the United States and Iran. The U.S. is seeking a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program and ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons, while Iran says it is not pursuing weapons and has so far resisted demands that it halt uranium enrichment on its soil or hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

    Most Americans, 61%, say Iran is an “enemy” of the U.S., which is up slightly from a Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll conducted in September 2023. But their confidence in the president’s judgment when it comes to relationships with adversaries and the use of military force abroad is low, the new poll shows, with only about 3 in 10 Americans saying they have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” trust in Trump.

    Even some Republicans — particularly younger Republicans — have reservations about Trump’s ability to make the right choices on these high-stakes issues.


    Most US adults have concerns about Trump’s judgment on military force

    The Trump administration this year has held two rounds of nuclear talks with Iran under Omani mediation, with a third round scheduled to begin Thursday. Similar talks last year between the U.S. and Iran about Iran’s nuclear program broke down after Israel launched what became the 12-day war in June.

    “We are in negotiations with them,” Trump said during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, which took place after the poll was conducted. “They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: We will never have a nuclear weapon.”

    Americans have significant reservations about Trump’s judgment on foreign conflicts, the AP-NORC poll shows. Only about 3 in 10 of U.S. adults have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of trust in Trump’s judgment on the use of military force, relationships with U.S. adversaries or the use of nuclear weapons. More than half trust him “only a little” or “not at all.”

    On each measure, Republicans are more likely than Democrats and Independents to trust that the president will make the right decisions. About 6 in 10 Republicans have a high level of trust in Trump, while roughly 9 in 10 Democrats have a low level of trust in him.

    But some Republicans’ confidence is more qualified. Younger Republicans — those under 45 — are less likely than older Republicans to say they trust Trump “a great deal” or “quite a bit” on his use of military force. About half of younger Republicans say this, compared to about two-thirds of older Republicans.


    Many view Iran’s nuclear program as a threat

    The new finding that 48% of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned that Iran’s nuclear program poses a direct threat to their country is in line with an AP-NORC poll conducted in July 2025, indicating that even with recent escalations between the two countries, Americans have not changed their views.

    Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. The U.N. nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — had said Iran was the only country in the world to enrich to that level that wasn’t armed with the bomb.

    Iran has been refusing requests by the IAEA to inspect the sites bombed in the June war, raising the concerns of nonproliferation experts.

    Worries about Iran’s nuclear program cross party lines in the U.S., though Republicans are currently more concerned. Most Republicans — 56% — say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, compared to 44% of Democrats.


    Younger Americans are less worried about Iran

    Americans generally hold a negative view of Iran, but the view is sharper among older Americans.

    About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say Iran is an “enemy” of the United States, up slightly from 53% from the Pearson/AP-NORC poll from 2023. Roughly 3 in 10 say the countries are “not friendly, but not enemies,” and only about 1 in 10 Americans consider Iran a country that is “friendly” or “close allies.”

    At the same time, only about half of U.S. adults under 45 say Iran is an enemy, compared to about 7 in 10 Americans ages 45 and older. There is also a wide generational divide in concern about Iran’s nuclear program, with only about one-third of Americans under 45 saying they are highly concerned, compared to about 6 in 10 older Americans.

    Tensions over Iran’s nuclear program have existed for decades, which may help explain why older Americans are more concerned. Nuclear talks had been deadlocked for years after Trump’s decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

    Liechtenstein reported from Vienna. AP reporter Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.

    The AP-NORC poll of 1,133 adults was conducted Feb. 19-23 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Saudi Arabia may have uranium enrichment under proposed deal with US, arms control experts warn

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    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia could have some form of uranium enrichment within the kingdom under a proposed nuclear deal with the United States, congressional documents and an arms control group suggest, raising proliferation concerns as an atomic standoff between Iran and America continues.

    U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden both tried to reach a nuclear deal with the kingdom to share American technology. Nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the kingdom, something its assertive crown prince has suggested he could pursue if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb.

    Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact last year after Israel launched an attack on Qatar targeting Hamas officials. Pakistan’s defense minister then said his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed, something seen as a warning for Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state.

    “Nuclear cooperation can be a positive mechanism for upholding nonproliferation norms and increasing transparency, but the devil is in the details,” wrote Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association.

    The documents raise “concerns that the Trump administration has not carefully considered the proliferation risks posed by its proposed nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia or the precedent this agreement may set.”

    Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to questions Friday from The Associated Press

    The congressional document, also seen by the AP, shows the Trump administration aims to reach 20 nuclear business deals with nations around the world, including Saudi Arabia. The deal with Saudi Arabia could be worth billions of dollars, it adds.

    The document contends that reaching a deal with the kingdom “will advance the national security interests of the United States, breaking with the failed policies of inaction and indecision that our competitors have capitalized on to disadvantage American industry and diminish the United States standing globally in this critical sector.” China, France, Russia and South Korea are among the leading nations that sell nuclear power plant technology abroad.

    The draft deal would see America and Saudi Arabia enter safeguard deals with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog. That would include oversight of the “most proliferation-sensitive areas of potential nuclear cooperation,” it added. It listed enrichment, fuel fabrication and reprocessing as potential areas.

    The IAEA, based in Vienna, did not immediately respond to questions. Saudi Arabia is a member state to the IAEA, which promotes peaceful nuclear work but also inspects nations to ensure they don’t have clandestine atomic weapons programs.

    “This suggests that once the bilateral safeguards agreement is in place, it will open the door for Saudi Arabia to acquire uranium enrichment technology or capabilities — possibly even from the United States,” Davenport wrote. “Even with restrictions and limits, it seems likely that Saudi Arabia will have a path to some type of uranium enrichment or access to knowledge about enrichment.”

    Enrichment isn’t an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation also must master other steps including the use of synchronized high explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to weaponization, which has fueled the concerns of the West over Iran’s program.

    The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor to Saudi Arabia, signed what is referred to as a “123 agreement” with the U.S. to build its Barakah nuclear power plant with South Korean assistance. But the UAE did so without seeking enrichment, something nonproliferation experts have held up as the “gold standard” for nations wanting atomic power.

    The push for a Saudi-U.S. deal comes as Trump threatens military action against Iran if it doesn’t reach a deal over its nuclear program. The Trump military push follows nationwide protests in Iran that saw its theocratic government launch a bloody crackdown on dissent that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands more reportedly detained.

    In Iran’s case, it long has insisted its nuclear enrichment program is peaceful. However, the West and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003. Tehran also had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — making it the only country in the world to do so without a weapons program.

    Iranian diplomats long have pointed to 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran won’t build an atomic bomb. However, Iranian officials increasingly have made the threat they could seek the bomb as tensions have risen with the U.S.

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler, has said if Iran obtains the bomb, “we will have to get one.”

    ___

    The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Rubio Meets Orbán in Budapest as US and Hungary Are to Sign a Civilian Nuclear Pact

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    BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in the Hungarian capital on Monday for meetings with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government during which they plan to sign a civilian-nuclear cooperation agreement heralded by U.S. President Donald Trump.

    Trump has been outspoken in his support for the nationalist Orbán in the Hungarian leader’s bid for reelection in two months. Orbán and his Fidesz party are facing their most serious challenge in the April 12 vote since the right-wing populist retook power in 2010.

    Led by Euroskeptic populists who oppose support for Ukraine and vocally back Trump, Slovakia and Hungary represent friendly territory for Rubio as he pushes to shore up energy agreements with both Central European countries.

    Widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most reliable advocate in the European Union, Orbán has maintained warm relations with the Kremlin despite its war against Ukraine while currying favor with Trump and his MAGA — short for the 2016 Trump campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” — movement.

    Many in MAGA and the broader conservative world view Hungary as a shining example of successful conservative nationalism, despite the erosion of its democratic institutions and its status as one of the EU’s poorest countries.

    In a post on his Truth Social site earlier this month, Trump endorsed Orbán for the coming elections and called him a “truly strong and powerful Leader” and “a true friend, fighter, and WINNER.”

    Trump has praised Orbán’s firm opposition to immigration, exemplified by a fence his government erected on Hungary’s southern border in 2015 as hundreds of thousands of refugees fled Syria and other countries in the Middle East and Africa.

    Other U.S. conservatives admire Orbán’s hostility to LGBTQ+ rights. His government last year banned the popular Budapest Pride celebration and allowed facial recognition technology to be used to identify anyone participating despite the ban. It has also effectively banned same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage, and disallowed transgender individuals from changing their sex in official documents.

    Orbán has remained firmly committed to purchasing Russian energy despite efforts by the EU to wean off such supplies, and received an exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian energy after a November meeting in the White House with Trump.

    Apparently trusting that his political and personal affinity with the U.S. leader could pay even greater dividends, Orbán and his government have sought to woo Trump to Hungary before the pivotal April 12 elections — hoping such a high-profile visit and endorsement would push Orbán, who is trailing in most polls, over the finish line.

    Budapest has hosted several annual iterations of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, and another was hastily rescheduled this year to fall in March, just before Hungary’s elections.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Expert sounds alarm on uncertainty after expiring nuclear weapons treaty

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    For the first time in more than 50 years, the world’s largest nuclear powers, the U.S. and Russia, do not have an agreement limiting their long-range nuclear arsenals. Margaret Brennan explains what this could mean in an already dangerous world.

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  • Arms control treaty limiting U.S., Russian nuclear weapons to expire, as leaders mull what’s next

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    The last remaining treaty between the U.S. and Russia that limits the number of deployable nuclear weapons expires Thursday, marking the end of decades of arms control agreements between the two countries with the largest nuclear arsenals in the world. 

    The New START Treaty, signed in 2010 by the U.S. and Russia, limited the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons to 1,550 on each side and required on-site inspections and notifications to ensure both superpowers were complying with the agreement.

    Russia stopped providing notifications and suspended inspections during the war in Ukraine but is estimated to not have significantly exceeded the required caps, according to the State Department’s latest report released last month. 

    Former President Joe Biden in 2021 extended the treaty for five years, but it cannot be extended further. 

    In January, President Trump told The New York Times “if it expires, it expires,” indicating he could let the treaty lapse. A White House official told CBS News the president will decide a path forward on nuclear arms control “which he will clarify on his own timeline,” and he has indicated he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons and involve China in future arms control talks. 

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that it’s “impossible” to come to an agreement without China “because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile.” The Pentagon has estimated China will have over 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2035, up from around 200 in 2019.  

    The current treaty is a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Russia, which have about 4,300 and 3,700 nuclear warheads respectively, according to the Federation of American Scientists. 

    Russian President Vladimir Putin in September suggested both sides should abide by the parameters of the treaty without signing another deal for a year, which former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Rose Gottemoeller told senators was a viable option. 

    “It should be Donald Trump who gets to be the president of nuclear peace in this case, not Vladimir Putin,” Gotttemoeller testified Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. She argued that continuing to keep New START limits in place for another year would allow the U.S. “to reestablish strategic stability with Russia and control nuclear weapons at the negotiating table.” 

    Retired Adm. Charles Richard, the former head of U.S. Strategic Command, and Tim Morrison, a former deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs during the first Trump administration, disagreed, arguing that the treaty does not address several pressing concerns. 

    All three of the former officials agreed the treaty is not perfect, in part, because it does not account for China and it doesn’t constrain non-strategic nuclear weapons, like tactical nuclear weapons, but Goettmoeller told senators it’s better than nothing. 

    “My bottom line is that it does not serve U.S. national security interests to have to address the Chinese nuclear buildup while simultaneously facing a rapid Russian upload campaign,” Gottemoeller said. 

    Now that the treaty limiting the U.S. and Russia is expected to expire, each of the officials raised concerns about other countries exploring their own nuclear programs in the future even if they’re not actively pursuing it right now.  

    “I don’t think you can understate the risk of proliferation,” Morrison told senators. 

    Morrison said the U.S. stockpile is aging and emphasized that effective nuclear deterrence requires sustained investment. 

    “By 2035, 100% of U.S. nuclear weapons, the warheads and bombs themselves, will have exceeded their design lives by an average of 30 years,” Morrison said. “The only means to reliably enforce compliance with arms treaties is to be able to threaten that failure to comply will be met with a compelling response.” 

    Undated: An artist rendering of the future Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. The 12 submarines of the Columbia class are a shipbuilding priority and will replace the Ohio-class submarines reaching maximum extended service life. 

    U.S. Navy illustration


    And to deploy the weapons effectively, the U.S. needs to boost its defense industrial base, the former officials all agreed, especially when it comes to building Columbia-class submarines that will make up the sea-based part of the nuclear triad. 

    “I think the numbers are insufficient on all portions of the triad, particularly on the bomber and the ballistic missile submarine leg,” said Richard, the retired admiral formerly in charge of U.S. Strategic Command. “There are additional capabilities that we should consider in addition to the recapitalization of the triad and increasing the capacity inside the triad.”

    Sara Cook

    contributed to this report.

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  • Iran leader vows regime will

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    Thousands of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran and other cities Thursday night, heeding a call by the country’s exiled crown prince to make their voices heard in the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic’s hardline rulers in many years.

    The protests had spread across the country for 13 days, leaving about 65 people dead and more than 2,300 detained by security forces, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, but despite the arrests and a nationwide internet and phone service blackout, the unrest escalated dramatically on Thursday night and into Friday.

    The protests have now spread to 180 cities in all 31 of the nation’s provinces, according to the HRANA. 

    It was impossible to get a clear picture of the extent of the unrest, given the clamp down on the flow of information. But Iran’s ruler appeared in a brief television address on Friday morning, defiantly accusing President Trump of inspiring the protests, showing he remained in charge, and vowing that his regime would “not back down.”

    Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, called for unity and accused “a bunch of vandals” in Tehran, where a state TV building was set alight, of having “destroyed a building that belongs to them to please the U.S. president.” 

    Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comments on nationwide protests, on Iranian State Television in the capital Tehran, Jan. 9, 2026

    IRIB/Handout/Anadolu/Getty


    As he spoke, an audience in front of him shouted the familiar refrain of “Death to America!”

    Given the communications blackout, which continued Friday morning according to the NetBlocks internet monitoring organization, short videos posted online, largely by anti-regime activists, provided the only real window into the chaos across the country.

    It appeared to ramp up dramatically from 8 p.m. local time on Thursday, the moment at which exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi had urged Iranians to shout and chant from their windows against the regime.

    “Iranians demanded their freedom tonight,” said Pahlavi, the son of the former head of state Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who fled the country just before the 1979 Islamic revolution that brought the current regime to power. 

    In statements posted online, he called for European leaders to join Mr. Trump to “hold the regime to account,” using “all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen. Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced.”

    Speaking at the White House Friday, Mr. Trump reiterated, as he has in recent days, that he was open to some kind of U.S.  intervention in Iran, although he said that would not involve a U.S. incursion.

    “I’ve made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved,” Mr. Trump said. “We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts. So, we don’t want that to happen.”

    On Friday, Pahlavi made a direct appeal to Mr. Trump.

    “I have called the people to the streets to fight for their freedom and to overwhelm the security forces with sheer numbers. Last night they did that. Your threat to this criminal regime has also kept the regime’s thugs at bay. But time is of the essence. The people will be on the streets again in an hour. I am asking you to help,” Pahlavi said on social media. “You have proven and I know you are a man of peace and a man of your word. Please be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran.”

    Protests-in-Iran-January-8

    Iranian protesters block a street in Kermanshah, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026, amid nationwide anti-government protests.

    Kamran/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty


    Pahlavi issued his initial call several days earlier for mass chanting against the regime at 8 p.m., which is noon on the East Coast of the United States, on both Thursday and Friday.

    In the videos, which are difficult to independently verify, many people could be heard chanting “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the Islamic Republic,” while others called for a return of the monarchy, declaring: “Pahlavi will return!”

    As of Thursday, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies on a network of contacts inside the country, said at least 42 people had been killed and more than 2,270 others detained, but that was before a clear picture could be gained of the chaos on Thursday night and Friday morning.

    “All of the huge crowds in my neighborhood are pro-Pahlavi and from several areas my sources report the same — pro-Pahlavi crowds are prevailing, undeniably,” one source in Tehran told CBS News on Thursday night, calling it “monarchists responding to Reza,” before his communications were cut off.

    “For the first time, the government decided to shut the internet yesterday, and usually when they shut the Internet, it means that they’re going to use violence against people,” Maziar Bahari, editor of the independent IranWire news site, told CBS News on Friday.

    Protests-in-Iran-January-8

    Iranian protesters block a street in Kermanshah, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2026, as nationwide protests continue.

    Kamran / Middle East Images /AFP via Getty Images


    Bahari said activists and journalists outside Iran had heard reports of security forces shooting at people in different parts of the country, but that the information was impossible to verify. Other CBS News sources, both people inside the country and those in contact with family in Iran, said there did not appear to have been massive, widespread violence on Thursday evening, but they stressed that it was difficult to get a clear picture amid the communications cuts.

    “Even Starlink, which has been the main line of communication for some activists in different parts of the country, has been jammed,” Bahari said, referring to the satellite communication system run by Elon Musk.

    CBS News has sought comment from SpaceX, which runs Starlink, but did not get any immediate response.

    Bahari said this would likely result in the “incarceration of hundreds or even thousands of protesters. It’s gonna lead to torture and interrogation of thousands of protestors, into killing of the protestors. But it has not prevented protests in the past. People have continued to protest, and this time, because the middle classes – the traditional bazaar merchants – they have joined the young people, I think the protests, it will be very difficult for the regime to stop.”

    How might Iran respond?

    “Many people have called what is happening in Iran right now a revolution, and we can see different signs of revolution in Iran at the moment, but a revolution usually needs a leader for the revolution … We don’t have that leader,” said Bahari, who was working as a journalist in Iran in 2009 when a previous round of massive protests swept across the country. He was arrested and detained for over 100 days.

    He said he expects the protests to continue, regardless of any steps the regime takes to crack down, which he said could vary significantly based on the whims of local and regional commanders.

    “I think people are more desperate than before. In 2009, the economic situation was not as bad as it is now,” Bahari said. “In 2009 the protests were really about dignity and citizen rights. In 2022, the ‘woman life freedom’ [movement] was mainly about the rights of women to determine their own destinies. But I think these protests, they are about the economic situation, but also about dignity. It’s about the national pride. And because of that, these protests will be very, very difficult to contain.”

    “I was very lucky that I was a journalist for a foreign publication at that time … and because of that, I wasn’t treated the same way that unknown prisoners were treated,” Bahari told CBS News.

    But despite his status as “a VIP prisoner,” Bahari said he was “tortured physically. I was tortured psychologically. I was threatened with execution. And I know for a fact that many of the protesters in 2009 who were arrested with me and did not have my profile, they were treated much more harshly by the prison guards in different parts of the country.”

    “Iranian people, they do not lack bravery. They lack leadership in terms of opposing the government,” Bahari said. “But at the same time, many of the protesters, they have nothing to lose. Their rate of suicide in the past couple of decades in Iran is really high. And when you’re suicidal, when you have nothing to lose, you don’t care about what may happen to you in a protest. So you just come out and ask for your rights.”

    Echoing Khamenei, Iran’s state-controlled media on Friday accused “terrorist agents” of the U.S. and Israel of causing the violence. It acknowledged casualties, but gave no details.

    The protests began on December 28 as merchants in Tehran closed their shops and took to the streets to vent anger over Iran’s long-ailing economy, which has been hobbled for years by global isolation and a raft of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other nations over its nuclear program and backing of armed proxy groups across the region.

    Iran’s autocratic regime has quashed several previous waves of unrest, violently, and the source in Tehran told CBS News there was significant fear among many people that the current protests would draw a similar draconian crackdown.

    This time, however, the protests are playing out under the threat of a direct U.S. intervention by President Trump.

    “I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots — they have lots of riots — if they do it, we are going to hit them very hard,” Mr. Trump said Thursday during a radio interview. 

    Vice President JD Vance told reporters at the White House that the U.S. stood by anyone engaged in peaceful protests in Iran. Asked if the U.S. would, as it did over the summer, join in any new Israeli strikes on Iran, Vance called on Tehran to negotiate with Washington over its nuclear program, but said he would “let the president speak to what we’re going to do in the future.”

    Bahari said that Iranian officials had told him they were concerned about Mr. Trump potentially intervening in Iran even before these protests. 

    The recent U.S. attack on Venezuela, “has really scared many Iranian officials and may have affected their actions in terms of how to confront the protesters. But at the same time, it has inspired many protesters to come out, because they know that the leader of the world’s main superpower is supporting their cause.”

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  • Trump says if Iran

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    President Trump warned Friday in a social media post that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.”

    Mr. Trump offer no further comment on Iran or how the U.S. might intervene to protect protesters in the country in the post on his Truth Social network, which was published just before 3 a.m. Eastern, but he said: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”

    It came hours after reports that at least six people have been killed amid nearly a week of escalating protests in Iran. The unrest began last weekend as business owners voiced frustration at the dire economic conditions in the Islamic Republic. 

    Iran has been plagued for years by staggering hyperinflation, fueled by Western sanctions imposed over the hardline clerical government’s nuclear program and backing for militant groups across the region.

    Videos and photos from Tehran and other cities posted on social media have shown protesters marching through streets from early this week, often chanting anti-government, pro-monarchy slogans and sometimes clashing violently with security forces.



    Protests erupt across Iran as currency sinks to record low

    04:11

    In an apparent bid to quell the unrest, Iranian authorities have acknowledged the economic concerns and said peaceful protests are legitimate, but suggested that foreign powers — usually a reference to Israel and the U.S. — are behind subversive elements fueling violence on the streets.

    Both the U.S. and Israeli governments had issued statements in support of the protests prior to Mr. Trump’s warning of a possible, undefined U.S. intervention on Friday morning.  

    “The people of Iran want freedom. They have suffered at the hands of the Ayatollahs for too long,” Mike Waltz, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said in a post on X earlier this week. “We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war.”

    Tension between the U.S. and Iran escalated this week on the heels of a visit to the U.S. by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has campaigned his country’s close allies in Washington for decades to take a tougher stance on Iran.

    After meeting with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday, Mr. Trump said he had heard that Iran could be attempting to rebuild its nuclear program following the unprecedented U.S. strikes on its enrichment facilities in June. Mr. Trump warned that if Iran did try to rebuild, “we’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

    On Tuesday, Iranian President Mahsoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would respond “to any cruel aggression” with unspecified “harsh and discouraging” measures.

    Iran is no stranger to nationwide protests, and the latest demonstrations have not come close to the last major outbreak in 2022, which was triggered by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman.

    An image from video posted on social media, which CBS News has not independently verified, appears to show a fire burning on a street in Tehran, Iran, amid clashes between protesters and government security forces in late December 2025 or early January 2026.

    Her death in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the nation’s strict dress code for women sparked a wave of anger across the nation. Several hundred people were killed, including dozens of members of the security forces, who waged a dramatic crackdown in response, arresting hundreds of people.

    There were also widespread protests in 2019, sparked by a sharp increase in the price of petrol.

    The standoff between Iran and the U.S. over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program reached a crescendo in June, when Mr. Trump ordered the deadly military strikes against Iran’s enrichment facilities, as Israel also carried out strikes on the country.

    While Mr. Trump indicated earlier this week that the U.S. could take new action if Iran were to rebuild its nuclear program, Friday’s brief post on social media was the first suggestion of a possible American intervention on behalf of Iranian protesters. 

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  • Iran protests draw swift crackdown as U.S. calls on Tehran to respect

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    Tehran — Iran’s prosecutor general said Wednesday that economic protests that have gripped the country were legitimate, but he warned that any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a “decisive response,” as the Islamic Republic’s rulers tried to clamp down on a fourth day of unrest.

    “Peaceful livelihood protests are part of social and understandable realities,” Mohammad Movahedi-Azad told state media after protests started by shopkeepers in the capital city Tehran, which were joined by students and others in several cities across the country.

    “Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property, or implementation of externally designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response,” warned Movahedi-Azad.

    His comments came days after the Mossad intelligence agency of Iran‘s arch-foe Israel posted on social media that it was “with you on the ground,” in a message to Iranian protesters. Posting on its Persian-language X account, the spy agency encouraged Iranians to “go out into the streets together.”

    Dozens of people walk down a street in Tehran, Iran, chanting pro-monarchy slogans to denounce the current Islamic Republic’s leadership and call for a return to earlier times amid rising living costs. Reuters confirmed the location of the video as Tehran from the buildings and road layout, which matched satellite and file imagery of the area. The date of the video could not be verified independently, but Iranian state media said protests occurred in Tehran on Dec. 28 and 29.

    Reuters


    In a post shared via its own Farsi language account on X, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it was “deeply concerned by reports and videos that peaceful protesters in Iran are facing intimidation, violence, and arrests.”

    “Demanding basic rights is not a crime. The Islamic Republic must respect the rights of the Iranian people and end the repression,” the U.S. government said in the post.

    “First the bazaars. Then the students. Now the whole country. Iranians are united. Different lives, one demand: respect our voices and our rights,” the State Department said in a subsequent post.

    The protests come amid mounting tension between the U.S. and Iran after President Trump said he had heard, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Iran could be attempting to rebuild its nuclear program following the unprecedented U.S. strikes on its enrichment facilities in June. Mr. Trump warned that if Iran did try to rebuild, “we’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

    On Tuesday, Iran’s president said Tehran would respond “to any cruel aggression” with unspecified “harsh and discouraging” measures.

    The protests, driven by dissatisfaction at Iran’s economic stagnation and galloping hyperinflation, began Sunday in Tehran’s largest mobile phone market, where shopkeepers shuttered their businesses. They gained momentum through Tuesday, with students at 10 universities in the capital and in other cities, including Iran’s most prestigious institutions, joining in.

    Nevertheless, the protests remain limited in number and concentrated in central Tehran, with shops elsewhere in the sprawling metropolis of 10 million people unaffected. And the government appeared to be cracking down on the unrest, both on the streets with a heavy security presence, and by declaring a last-minute holiday to prompt the closure of schools and businesses.

    Iran’s economy has been in the doldrums for years, with heavy U.S. and international sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program weighing heavily on it. The currency, the rial, has also plunged in recent months, losing more than a third of its value against the U.S. dollar since last year.

    Videos posted on social media have shown crowds chanting anti-government slogans as they marched through the streets, while others show security forces using tear gas and purportedly live ammunition. CBS News has not been able to independently verify the video clips posted online, some of which show heavily armed security forces appearing to detain multiple people, including students, and others in which apparent gunfire can be heard.

    The Guild Council of the University of Tehran said six students were detained but later released. There were unconfirmed reports that at least one student was severely injured during a confrontation with security services in Tehran.

    A last-minute holiday

    The streets of Tehran were calm early Wednesday, a change from the usual chaotic and choking traffic, after authorities announced a national holiday with just a day’s notice. Many schools, banks and public institutions were closed, with officials saying the directive was due to the cold weather and the need to save energy.

    Aftermath of protests over a plunge in the currency's value

    People walk past closed shops following protests over a plunge in the currency’s value, in the Tehran Grand Bazaar, Tehran, Iran, December 30, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

    Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters


    The capital’s prestigious Beheshti and Allameh Tabataba’i universities announced that classes would be held online throughout next week for the same reason, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

    The authorities did not link the bank holiday to the protests. Tehran is experiencing daytime temperatures near the freezing mark, which is not unusual for this time of year.

    Weekends in Iran begin on Thursdays, while this Saturday marks a long-standing national holiday.

    Iran is no stranger to nationwide protests, but the latest demonstrations have not come close to the last major outbreak in 2022, which was triggered by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman.

    Her death in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the nation’s strict dress code for women sparked a wave of anger across the country. Several hundred people were killed, including dozens of members of the security forces, who waged a dramatic crackdown in response, arresting hundreds of people.

    There were also widespread protests in 2019, sparked by a sharp increase in the price of petrol.

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  • Iran vows harsh response to any attack as Trump says he’d “knock the hell out of them” if nuclear work resumes

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    Tehran, Iran — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian promised on Tuesday a harsh response to any attack, appearing to respond to a warning the previous day by President Trump over Iran’s purported attempts to rebuild its nuclear program.

    “Answer of Islamic Republic of Iran to any cruel aggression will be harsh and discouraging,” Pezeshkian said in a social media post.

    Pezeshkian did not elaborate, but his statement came a day after Mr. Trump suggested the U.S. could carry out new military strikes if Iran attempts to reconstitute its nuclear program.

    Mr. Trump made the comment during wide-ranging talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the U.S. leader’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

    “Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Mr. Trump said during a news conference with Netanyahu after their meeting. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

    President Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago resort, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.

    Joe Raedle/Getty


    The two leaders discussed the possibility of renewed military action against Tehran months after a 12-day air war in June that killed nearly 1,100 Iranians, including senior military commanders and scientists. Iran’s retaliatory missile barrage killed 28 people in Israel.

    Mr. Trump repeatedly declared “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear program after three sites were bombed in a secret attack by the U.S. in June, but questions were raised about the extent of the damage inflicted. An initial classified assessment determined that the strikes had set back Tehran’s nuclear program by a matter of months, while Mr. Trump said it was set back “basically decades.” 

    Some Democratic lawmakers, after a classified briefing on the strikes, argued that Mr. Trump had misled the American people about the level of success achieved.

    Mr. Trump suggested Monday that he could order another U.S. strike against Iran if he believes it’s needed.

    “If it’s confirmed, they know the consequences, and the consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time,” Mr. Trump said.

    Mr. Trump said he had heard Iran was rebuilding its capabilities after his closed-door meeting on Monday with Netanyahu, who has pressed successive U.S. administrations for decades to take a harder line against Iran.

    “Netanyahu remains focused on reducing threats from Iran to Israel, which he has been for the almost 30 years he’s been in office,” CBS News national security contributor Samantha Vinograd, a former top Homeland Security official in the Obama administration, said Tuesday.

    But Vinograd added that “the United States and Israel may have different intelligence assessments of what Iran’s intentions are, what their capabilities are.”

    She said the U.S. strikes over the summer — known as Operation Midnight Hammer — “did inflict damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, however Iran does retain highly enriched uranium which could be used to breakout to a bomb.”

    A graphic released by the Pentagon shows the flight path and timeline of Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. operation to strike nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

    A graphic released by the Pentagon shows the flight path and timeline of Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. operation to strike nuclear sites in Iran on June 21, 2025.

    U.S. Department of Defense


    Vinograd said, however, the most immediate threat posed by Iran — not only to Israel but to U.S. forces in the region — may well be its massive stockpile of conventional ballistic missiles, not its potential to try to build a viable nuclear weapon.

    “Iran has had more ballistic missiles than any other nation in the region, other than Israel, and it’s really their leverage when it comes to wreaking havoc across the region, both against targets in Israel, American troops overseas, via proxies and more.”

    “It does appear that there is some kind of intelligence gap between what the U.S. thinks Iran is doing and capable of, and what Israeli intelligence is saying on those fronts.”

    Pezeshkian said Saturday that tension between the two sides had already risen again, claiming: “We are in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe; they don’t want our country to remain stable.”

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, speaks during a press conference in Tehran on Sept. 27, 2025.

    Iranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images


    Iran has insisted it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program.

    U.S. intelligence agencies and the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency assessed Iran last had an organized nuclear weapons program in 2003, though Tehran had continued enriching uranium up to 60%, which is a short technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

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  • North Korea Displays Apparent Progress in Construction of Nuclear-Powered Submarine

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    SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Thursday displayed apparent progress in the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, with state media photos showing a largely completed hull, as leader Kim Jong Un condemned rival South Korea’s push to acquire the technology.

    North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim visited a shipyard to inspect the construction of what the North describes as an 8,700-ton-class nuclear-propelled submarine, which the leader has called a crucial step in the modernization and nuclear armament of North Korea’s navy. The North has indicated it plans to arm the submarine with nuclear weapons, calling it a “strategic guided missile submarine” or a “strategic nuclear attack submarine.”

    During the visit, Kim described South Korea’s efforts to acquire its own nuclear-powered submarine, which have been backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, as an “offensive act” that severely violates the North’s security and maritime sovereignty.

    He said that the South Korean plan further underscores the need to advance and nuclear-arm North Korea’s navy, and claimed that the completion of his nuclear-powered submarine would be an “epoch-making” change in strengthening its nuclear war deterrent against what he called enemy threats.

    The agency did not specify when Kim visited the shipyard but released photos showing him inspecting a huge, burgundy-colored vessel, coated with what appears to be anti-corrosion paint, under construction inside an assembly hall with senior officials and his daughter. It was the first time North Korean state media had released images of the submarine since March, when they mostly showed the lower sections of the vessel.

    It was not immediately clear how close North Korea is to completing the vessel. But because submarines are typically built from the inside out, the release of what appears to be a largely completed hull suggests that many core components, including the engine and possibly the reactor, are already in place, said Moon Keun-sik, a submarine expert at Seoul’s Hanyang University.

    “Showing the entire vessel now seems to indicate that most of the equipment has already been installed and it is just about ready to be launched into the water,” said Moon, a former submarine officer in the South Korean navy, who believes the North Korean submarine could possibly be tested at sea within months.


    A nuclear-powered submarine is Kim’s next major military goal

    North Korea has conducted a series of tests to develop some of those systems and recently unveiled a new naval destroyer, which Kim hailed as a major step toward expanding the operational range and preemptive strike capabilities of the country’s nuclear forces.

    If North Korea obtains a submarine capable of operating stealthily for extended periods and launching missiles from underwater, it would be a worrying development for its neighbors, as such launches would be difficult to detect in advance. But there have been questions about whether North Korea, a heavily sanctioned and impoverished country, could get resources and technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.

    Some experts say North Korea’s recent alignment with Russia — including sending thousands of troops and military equipment to support President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine — may have helped it to receive crucial technologies in return.

    While some analysts suspect North Korea may have sought a reactor from Russia, possibly from a retired Russian submarine, Moon said it’s more likely that North Korea designed its own reactor, while possibly receiving some technological assistance from Russia.


    South Korea seeks its own nuclear-powered submarine

    During a summit with Trump in November, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for U.S. support for South Korea’s efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, while reaffirming a commitment to increase defense spending to ease the burden on the United States.

    Trump later said that the United States is open to sharing closely held technology to allow South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, but it’s not immediately clear where and when the vessel would be built and how Seoul would get the nuclear fuel and reactor technology required.

    In a separate report, KCNA said Kim on Wednesday supervised a test of a new, long-range anti-air missile that was fired toward its eastern sea. South Korea’s Defense Ministry didn’t immediately comment on the launch.

    Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have worsened in recent years as Kim accelerated his military nuclear program and deepened alignment with Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His government has repeatedly dismissed calls by Washington and Seoul to revive negotiations aimed at winding down his nuclear and missile programs, which derailed in 2019 following a collapsed summit with Trump during the American president’s first term.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • North Korea warns US over nuclear weapon “domino” effect

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    North Korea has warned that U.S. approval for the South to build a nuclear-powered submarine will set off a nuclear weapon “domino” effect and trigger a “hot” arms race.

    Why It Matters

    North Korea has pushed ahead with its development of nuclear weapons and the missiles with which to strike its perceived enemies, including the United States, despite sanctions and efforts over the years to engage it in negotiations in exchange for sanctions relief.

    Pyongyang’s warning comes after the leaders of both the U.S. and North Korea suggested they could meet to renew the dialogue that they began during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

    What To Know

    Trump said after talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung late last month that he had given approval for South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, marking a potentially historic expansion of military cooperation between the allies.

    North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which reflects the thinking of the North Korean leadership, said in a commentary that recent agreements between Trump and Lee “reveal the true colors of the confrontational will of the U.S. and the ROK to remain hostile towards the DPRK.” 

    South Korea’s official name is the Republic of Korea (ROK), while North Korea is officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

    “The U.S. allowed the ROK’s possession of nuclear submarine, disregarding the danger of the global nuclear arms race…and gave green light for the enrichment of uranium and the reprocessing of nuclear waste fuel, thus laying a springboard for its development into the ‘quasi-nuclear weapons state,’” KCNA said.

    “The ROK’s possession of a nuclear submarine is a strategic move for ‘its own nuclear weaponization’ and this is bound to cause a ‘nuclear domino phenomenon’ in the region and spark a hot arms race,” KCNA said.

    Upgrading South Korea’s submarine fleet, which will remain conventionally armed, would help ease the operational burden on the U.S. military in the Indo-Pacific region, where it has deployed nuclear-powered submarines to counter China, its main military rival.

    North Korea, which is estimated to have 50 nuclear warheads, is also developing a nuclear-powered submarine program—possibly with Russia’s help, according to South Korean officials.

    In March, North Korea’s state media released photographs of what it said was an inspection tour by leader Kim Jong Un of a shipyard where its first nuclear submarine is being built.

    KCNA did not refer to Trump by name in its commentary but it said the U.S-South Korean cooperation proved U.S. hostility “irrespective of regime change.”

    What People Are Saying

    North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said in its commentary: “The U.S. and the ROK are openly ignoring the DPRK’s legitimate security concern and aggravating the regional tension…. The DPRK will take more justified and realistic countermeasures to defend the sovereignty and security interests of the state and regional peace, corresponding to the fact that the confrontational intention of the U.S. and the ROK to remain hostile towards the DPRK was formulated as their policy.”

    What Happens Next

    Trump told reporters on October 24 he was “open” to a potential meeting with Kim, citing their “great relationship.” It remains unclear when such a meeting might take place, and whether concessions would be on the table without steps toward denuclearization.

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  • Putin requests proposals for possible resumption of nuclear weapons tests in response to Trump’s comments

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    Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his government to submit proposals on the possible resumption of nuclear weapons testing in response to President Trump instructing the Pentagon to do so “on an equal basis” with other countries.

    In a meeting Wednesday with his Security Council, Putin said Russia has adhered to the international Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which prohibits nuclear test explosions. 

    But, he said, “if the United States or any other state party to the Treaty was to conduct such tests, Russia would be under obligation to take reciprocal measures.”

    Mr. Trump claimed in an interview with 60 Minutes that Russia is among a handful of countries testing nuclear weapons when asked about his order.

    “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it,” Mr. Trump told CBS News correspondent Norah O’Donnell. “We’re gonna test, because they test and others test. And certainly North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan’s been testing.”

    It is unclear what type of testing Mr. Trump is ordering. The last time the U.S. detonated a nuclear device as part of a test was in 1992.

    “No one knows what Trump meant about ‘nuclear testing’ (he probably doesn’t himself),” Dmirty Medvedev, the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, wrote in a post on social media Wednesday.

    “But he’s the president of the United States,” his post continued. “And the consequences of such words are inescapable: Russia will be forced to assess the expediency of conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself.”

    China was the first of the nations accused by Mr. Trump to deny any secret nuclear testing. A Pakistani official told CBS News that the country “will not be the first to resume nuclear tests.”

    Mr. Trump made the assertion to O’Donnell just days after the president’s own nominee to lead STRATCOM — the U.S. military command in charge of nuclear weapons — told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that neither China nor Russia were conducting nuclear explosive tests.

    North Korea is the only nation known to have conducted a nuclear detonation since the 1990s. Russia’s last known nuclear explosive test was in 1990, and China’s was in 1996.

    The U.S. is among almost 180 nations that have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

    Along with China and several other nuclear powers, however, the U.S. has never ratified the treaty, a situation that Putin highlighted in 2023 when he decided to revoke Moscow’s ratification.

    While Russia has stepped up its own tests of nuclear-capable and even nuclear-powered weapons systems, it has not announced any resumption of nuclear test detonations.

    Putin’s revocation of Russia’s CTBT ratification exactly two years ago fueled speculation that he could order new nuclear detonation tests, along with calls from hawkish members of the Russian parliament for the country to do so. Putin previously suggested that Russia would resume nuclear explosive tests if the U.S. were to do so first.

    One year ago, Putin approved changes to Russia’s official nuclear doctrine, formally amending the conditions — and lowering the threshold — under which Moscow would consider using its nuclear weapons.

    The updated doctrine, which was announced just as Ukraine launched its first strike deeper into Russia with U.S.-supplied missiles, states that Russia will treat an attack by a non-nuclear state that is supported by a country with nuclear capabilities as a joint attack by both.

    That means in theory that any attack on Russia by a country that’s part of a coalition could be seen as an attack by the entire group. Under the doctrine, Russia could theoretically consider any major attack on its territory, even with conventional weapons, by non-nuclear-armed Ukraine sufficient to trigger a nuclear response, because Ukraine is backed by the nuclear-armed United States.

    Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine multiple times since he ordered the full-scale invasion of the country on Feb. 24, 2022, and Russia has repeatedly warned the West that if Washington allowed Ukraine to fire Western-made missiles deep into its territory, it would consider the U.S. and its NATO allies to be directly involved in the war. 

    Mr. Trump has so far declined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s repeated requests for U.S.-made Tomahawk long-range missiles.

    What does Trump mean by U.S. resuming nuclear tests?

    Mr. Trump has not been clear about whether his stated plan to have the U.S. military test its nuclear arsenal includes conducting actual atomic explosions, which have not been carried out in the U.S. for over 30 years, or just expanded testing of the weapons systems used to deliver nuclear warheads.

    U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, downplayed the notion on Sunday that the U.S. was about to start setting off nuclear explosions.
    “I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests. These are not nuclear explosions,” Wright told Fox News. “These are what we call ‘non-critical explosions,’ so you’re testing all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion.”

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  • US sanctions North Korean bankers accused of laundering stolen cryptocurrency

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    WASHINGTON — The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a group of bankers, financial institutions and others accused of laundering money from cyber crime schemes — money the Treasury Department says helps pay for North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

    Over the past three years, North Korean malware and social engineering schemes have diverted more than $3 billion, mostly in digital assets, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said, noting the sum is unmatched by any other foreign actor. An international report documented the scope of the problem in a 138-page report published last month.

    “North Korean state-sponsored hackers steal and launder money to fund the regime’s nuclear weapons program,” said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley in a statement.

    The department said North Korea relies on a network of banking representatives, financial institutions, and shell companies in North Korea, China, Russia, and elsewhere to launder funds gained through IT worker fraud, heists of cryptocurrency, and sanctions evasion.

    The department in 2022 warned U.S. firms against hiring highly skilled North Koreans who obfuscate their identities to gain access to financial networks, often by posing as remote IT workers.

    Tuesday’s new measures were directed at eight people and two firms, including North Korean bankers, Jang Kuk Chol and Ho Jong Son. They are accused of helping to manage funds, including $5.3 million in cryptocurrency, on behalf of sanctioned First Credit Bank.

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  • Hegseth Praises South Korea’s Plans to Raise Its Military Spending and Boost Defense Capabilities

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    SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised South Korea’s plans to raise its military spending, saying Tuesday that the Asian ally will take a larger role in defending itself from North Korean aggressions as the allies must brace for regional contingencies.

    Modernizing the decades-long alliance between the U.S. and South Korea is a key issue between the U.S. and South Korea, as the U.S. apparently wants South Korea to increase its conventional defense capabilities so that Washington can focus more on China.

    After annual security talks with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul, Hegseth told reporters that he was “greatly encouraged” by Seoul’s commitment to increase defense spending and make greater investments in South Korean capabilities. He said the two agreed the investments would bolster South Korea’s ability to lead its conventional deterrence and defense against North Korea.

    In a speech at parliament earlier Tuesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked lawmakers to approve an 8.2% increase in defense spending next year, which he said would help modernize the South Korean military’s weapons systems and reduce its reliance on the United States.

    “We face, as we both acknowledge, a dangerous security environment but our alliance is stronger than ever, “Hegseth said.

    Hegseth said that he and Ahn agreed to demonstrate works to maintain and repair U.S. warships in South Korea, a move that he said will harness South Korea’s world-class shipbuilding capabilities and also “ensure our most lethal capabilities remain ready to respond to any crisis.”

    Hegseth said the South Korea-U.S. alliance is primarily aimed at coping with potential North Korean provocations but must also keep other regional threats in view.

    “There’s no doubt flexibility for regional contingencies is something we would take a look at but we are focused on standing by our allies here and ensuring the threat of the DPRK is not a threat to the Republic of Korea and certainly continue to extend nuclear deterrence as we have before,” he said.

    DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — North Korea’s official name — while Republic of Korea is South Korea’s formal name.

    In recent years, the U.S. and South Korea have been discussing how to integrate U.S. nuclear weapons and South Korean conventional weapons in various contingencies. South Korea has no nuclear weapons and is under the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” security commitment.

    Ahn denied speculation that South Korea could eventually seek its own nuclear weapons program or is pushing for redeployment of U.S. tactical weapon weapons that were removed from South Korea in the 1990s. He stressed that Seoul remains committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

    “Because we cannot have nuclear weapons, that’s why a system integrating U.S. nuclear capabilities and South Korea’s conventional weapons, the CNI (conventional-nuclear integration) framework, has been established,” he said.

    Hegseth and Ahn did not issue a joint statement after the meeting, leaving the details of their agreements unclear. It’s unusual for the two countries’ defense ministerial talks to end without an immediate joint statement. But Hegseth said there was “no daylight or differences” between the two countries, only “a bigger deal which takes a little more time.”

    North Korea didn’t immediately comment on the Hegseth-Ahn meeting.

    South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said earlier on Tuesday that it detected the North test-firing around 10 rounds of artillery toward its western seas Monday afternoon, shortly before Hegseth arrived at an inter-Korean border village with Ahn to kick off his two-day visit to South Korea.

    The joint chiefs said the North also fired the same number of rounds Saturday afternoon, before a summit between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Lee called for a stronger role by Beijing to persuade the North to return to dialogue with Washington and Seoul.

    North Korea had expressed irritation over the agenda of the Lee-Xi meeting, ridiculing Seoul for clinging to a “pipe dream” that the North would one day give up its nuclear weapons.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Pakistan “will not be the first to resume nuclear tests,” official says in response to Trump’s 60 Minutes claim

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    A Pakistani official told CBS News that the country “will not be the first to resume nuclear tests” in response to President Trump’s assertion in an interview with 60 Minutes that the country has conducted nuclear weapons tests, along with Russia and China.

    “Pakistan was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume nuclear tests,” the senior Pakistani security official told CBS News.

    China was the first of the nations accused by Mr. Trump in his interview with CBS News correspondent Norah O’Donnell to deny any secret nuclear testing.

    “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it,” Mr. Trump said, explaining his recent announcement that the U.S. would carry out tests of its nuclear weapons. “We’re gonna test, because they test and others test. And certainly North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan’s been testing.”

    Trump made the assertion to O’Donnell during an interview that was broadcast just days after the president’s own nominee to lead STRATCOM — the U.S. military command in charge of nuclear weapons — told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that neither China nor Russia were conducting nuclear explosive tests.

    North Korea is the only nation known to have conducted a nuclear detonation since the 1990s. China’s last known nuclear explosive test was in 1996.

    Pakistan’s last known nuclear explosive test was in 1998, and it since then its government says it has observed a “unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing,” despite not being a signatory to the international Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

    The U.S. is among almost 180 nations that have signed the CTBT, which bans all atomic test explosions.

    Along with China and several other nuclear powers, however, the U.S. has never ratified the treaty, a situation that President Vladimir Putin highlighted two years ago when he decided to revoke Moscow’s ratification.

    While Russia has stepped up its own tests of nuclear-capable weapons systems, it has not said it will resume nuclear detonations.

    On its website, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that “despite being a non-signatory state, Pakistan been supporting the objectives and purposes of the Treaty,” and that in addition to its moratorium on nuclear tests, it “will not be the first to resume testing of nuclear weapons in South Asia.”

    Asked about Mr. Trump’s claims on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters during a press briefing that as a “responsible nuclear-weapons state, China has always … upheld a self-defense nuclear strategy and abided by its commitment to suspend nuclear testing.”

    She said China hoped the U.S. would “take concrete actions to safeguard the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime and maintain global strategic balance and stability.”

    There was no immediate reaction from Moscow to Mr. Trump’s claim that Russia has also conducted secret nuclear tests.

    What does Trump mean by U.S. resuming nuclear tests?

    President Trump has not been clear about whether his stated plan to have the U.S. military test its nuclear arsenal include conducting actual atomic explosions, which have not been carried out in the U.S. more than 30 years, or just expanded testing of the weapons systems used to deliver nuclear warheads.

    U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, downplayed the notion on Sunday that the U.S. was about to start setting off nuclear explosions.

    “I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests. These are not nuclear explosions,” Wright told Fox News. “These are what we call ‘non-critical explosions,’ so you’re testing all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion.”

    Imtiaz Tyab

    contributed to this report.

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  • Trump’s Testing Plans for US Nuclear Weapons Won’t Include Explosions, Energy Secretary Says

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    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — New tests of the U.S. nuclear weapons system ordered up by President Donald Trump will not include nuclear explosions, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday.

    It was the first clarity from the Trump administration since the president took to social media last week to say he had “instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”

    “I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests,” Wright said in an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing.” “These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call noncritical explosions.”

    Wright, whose agency is responsible for testing, added that the planned testing involves “all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion.”

    The confusion over Trump’s intention started minutes before he held a critical meeting in South Korea with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump took to his Truth Social platform and appeared to suggest he was preparing to discard a decades-old U.S. prohibition on testing the nation’s nuclear weapons.

    Later that day, as he made his way back to Washington, Trump was coy on whether he really meant to say he was ordering the resumption of explosive testing of nuclear weapons — something only North Korea has undertaken this century — or calling for the testing of U.S. systems that could deliver a nuclear weapon, which is far more routine.

    He remained opaque on Friday when asked by reporters about whether he intended to resume underground nuclear detonation tests.

    “You’ll find out very soon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, as he headed to Florida for a weekend stay.

    The U.S. military regularly tests its missiles that are capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, but it has not detonated the weapons since 1992. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which the U.S. signed but did not ratify, has been observed since its adoption by all countries possessing nuclear weapons, North Korea being the only exception.

    Russia responded to Trump’s nuclear testing comments by underscoring that it did not test its nuclear weapons and has abided by a global ban on nuclear testing.

    The Kremlin warned though, that if the U.S. resumes testing its weapons, Russia will as well — an intensification that would restart Cold War-era tensions.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Nuclear testing update: Energy secretary clarifies Trump’s comments

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    Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified comments that were made last week by President Donald Trump on Truth Social about renewed nuclear testing during an appearance on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing.

    Wright told Fox News’ Peter Doocy that people wouldn’t see explosions or anything similar to previous nuclear tests carried out in the United States, saying, “I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests. These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call non-critical explosions.”

    Wright elaborated that such tests involve “all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion,” but do not include actual atomic detonations.

    Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon and the White House regarding testing nuclear testing Sunday.

    Why It Matters

    U.S. nuclear weapons policy has global ramifications, impacting diplomatic relations and international security.

    The U.S. last conducted a nuclear weapons test in 1992 at the Nevada National Security Site underground. In 1996, the country signed onto the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which “bans all nuclear test explosions, whether for military or civilian purposes.” However, the Senate rejected its ratification in 1999.

    With rivals like Russia, China and Iran accelerating their nuclear programs, the Trump administration’s public signals have drawn close scrutiny from lawmakers, the public, and America’s allies and adversaries.

    The clarification from Wright provides new insights on the administration’s approach to nuclear deterrence and the ongoing debate about how best to maintain the safety and reliability of the U.S. arsenal while avoiding breaches of international bans on nuclear detonations.

    What To Know

    On Truth Social last week, Trump wrote that the U.S. “has more nuclear weapons than any other country,” saying it was “accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons” during his first term.

    The president added: “Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

    On Wednesday, reporters aboard Air Force One asked Trump about his post, seeking details about what it would look like for the U.S. resuming such tests.

    “We’re going to do some testing,” the president said. “Other countries do it. If they’re going to do it, we’re going to.” He declined to provide further details.

    During his appearance on The Sunday Briefing, Wright was asked by Doocy if residents near the U.S. military’s nuclear testing site in Nevada “should expect to see a mushroom cloud at some point.”

    Wright responded: “No, no worries about that.”

    The Federation of American Scientists estimates that the U.S. has a nuclear stockpile of about 3,700 warheads, with about 1,700 deployed, while the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) puts the total U.S. inventory at 5,177, with Russia at 5,459. SIPRI notes that “Russia and the USA together possess around 90 percent of all nuclear weapons.” The U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear arms race during the Cold War.

    Only North Korea has conducted a nuclear test detonation this century—the last in 2017—though Russia and China have tested delivery systems but not warheads, according to the Associated Press.

    Beijing and Moscow have intensified their nuclear weapons programs in recent years, but neither has confirmed violation of the testing moratorium.

    Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the Pentagon is moving “quickly” on Trump’s directive. He said during a meeting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that the department will work with the Department of Energy on nuclear testing, saying that the “president was clear. We need a credible nuclear deterrent.” 

    What People Are Saying

    Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, wrote on X on Thursday: “New nuclear tests are unnecessary escalation by a President who doesn’t seem to be paying attention. The Chinese and the Russians HAVEN’T conducted a recent test of a nuclear warhead. It’s been decades. If we resume testing our weapons (which we have no reason to do) China will likely begin a test program. This only helps them advance their technology and start an arms race. Read your briefing materials, Mr. President.”

    Corey Hinderstein, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for Nuclear Peace, told NPR: “I think a decision to resume nuclear testing would be extremely dangerous and would do more to benefit our adversaries than the United States.”

    Ernest Moniz, American nuclear physicist, former secretary of energy, and CEO of The Nuclear Threat Initiative, in a statement on Thursday: “If explosive testing were to resume, it would mark the end of a three-decade-long moratorium on U.S. nuclear testing. Testing nuclear weapons is unnecessary for U.S. national security, unwise because it will invite our adversaries to do the same, and unwelcome in communities close to the test site.”

    Vice Admiral Richard Correll, nominee to lead U.S. Strategic Command, said at a Senate hearing last week: “I don’t have insight into the President’s intent. I agree that could be an interpretation.”

    What Happens Next?

    The Trump administration has not announced any timetable for a resumption of explosive tests, and top officials have continued to emphasize the non-nuclear nature of planned activities.

    The situation continues to be closely monitored by lawmakers and international observers, with calls for further transparency and discussion.

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  • U.S. Nuclear Weapons Tests ‘Will Begin Immediately,’ Trump Says

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    In a Truth Social post on Wednesday night, Donald Trump announced that he’s bringing back nuclear weapons tests after the U.S. ended the practice 33 years ago. As Trump put it, “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.”

    The last U.S. nuclear test was on September 23, 1992, around the same time the creation of new material for making nuclear warheads was paused, and the testing program was replaced with a program called “Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship.” Even when China detonated an H-bomb in 1994, the U.S. held firm, and did not resume tests, an achievement for the post-Cold War arms control process.

    Trump also made the puzzling claim on Truth Social that he accomplished a nuclear build-out at some point during his first Administration that gave the U.S. more nuclear weapons than Russia, the country commonly understood to have the largest nuclear arsenal. 

    “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” the president wrote, adding that this “was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office.”

    Trump continued an undertaking begun by President Barack Obama in 2014, aimed at strengthening the U.S. nuclear arsenal. He also did state that he wanted to massively increase the U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons. If it’s somehow true that the U.S. arsenal is now bigger than Russia’s, Trump succeeded wildly at this, but apparently in secret.

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  • China issues statement on nuclear weapons

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    China’s Foreign Ministry has reiterated that the country remains committed to a self-defense-oriented nuclear policy, as Beijing certified two new nuclear test monitoring stations.

    Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Preparatory Commission, visited China last week at Beijing’s invitation for the launch ceremony marking the certification of two auxiliary seismic facilities in Shanghai and Xi’an.

    Why It Matters

    Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear explosions.

    Both China and the United States are among those that have signed but not ratified the agreement. Still, both countries have adhered to its principles, with neither known to have conducted a full-scale nuclear weapons test since the CTBT’s signing in 1996. Each hosts at least a dozen CTBTO-certified monitoring facilities on their soil as part of the organization’s global verification network.

    Newsweek reached out to the CTBTO by email with a request for comment.

    What To Know

    “In recent years, China and the [CTBTO Provisional Technical Secretariat] have achieved significant cooperation outcomes in areas such as promoting the certification and acceptance of monitoring stations and enhancing capacity building for developing countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday during a regular press briefing.

    “This demonstrates China’s consistent stance of earnestly fulfilling its international obligations and firmly supporting the Treaty,” he added.

    Guo said China, as a “responsible nuclear-weapon state” and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has maintained its long-standing nuclear test moratorium and upheld its no-first-use policy on nuclear strikes.

    China is one of only two nuclear-armed nations—alongside India—to officially pledge not to use nuclear weapons first. New Delhi, however, allows for exceptions in the case of nuclear-armed adversaries or states aligned with them.

    Beijing has proposed that all five recognized nuclear-weapon states—China, the United States, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom—enter negotiations on a “mutual no-first-use” treaty.

    While China’s nuclear stockpile remains far smaller than those of Russia and the U.S., it has expanded rapidly in recent years, modernizing its missile forces and delivery systems to establish a “nuclear triad”—capabilities for land-, sea-, and air-based strategic deterrence.

    China’s arsenal reached an estimated 600 warheads in 2024, a roughly 20 percent increase from the previous year, according to assessments by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

    A July report by the Washington-based Hudson Institute argued that Beijing’s nuclear buildup is less about preparing for a nuclear exchange and more about deterring the U.S. and its allies from threatening China’s strategic objectives in its region.

    What People Are Saying

    Floyd said in a video posted to X on Saturday: “The highlight of being in China this week has been the launch of the certification of two auxiliary seismic stations over the next short period of time. Seeing the Chinese government working together, powerfully […] The international monitoring system, for global good, for global peace and security. Multilateralism delivering.”

    What Happens Next

    The CTBT is unlikely to enter into force anytime soon, as a number of key states—including those with nuclear weapons or the technical potential to develop them—have not signed or ratified it.

    Meanwhile, the 2011 New START Treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms reduction pact between Washington and Moscow, is set to expire in February. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who suspended Moscow’s participation in the accord in 2023, has said he remains open to informally maintaining those limits beyond the treaty’s expiration. Washington has not yet responded to the proposal.

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  • Agency overseeing nuclear stockpile furloughs most of its workforce

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    Agency overseeing nuclear stockpile furloughs most of its workforce – CBS News










































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    The agency responsible for overseeing the U.S. nuclear stockpile will furlough most of its workforce as the government shutdown drags on. CBS News reporter Andres Gutierrez has more.

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