DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Near a peak of the Zagros Mountains in central Iran, workers are building a nuclear facility so deep in the earth that it is likely beyond the range of a last-ditch U.S. weapon designed to destroy such sites, according to experts and satellite imagery analyzed by The Associated Press.
Planet Labs PBC via AP
This satellite photo shows construction on a new underground facility at Iran's Natanz nuclear site April 14 near Natanz, Iran.
The photos and videos from Planet Labs PBC show Iran has been digging tunnels in the mountain near the Natanz nuclear site, which has come under repeated sabotage attacks amid Tehran’s standoff with the West over its atomic program.
With Iran now producing uranium close to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers, the installation complicates the West’s efforts to halt Tehran from potentially developing an atomic bomb as diplomacy over its nuclear program remains stalled.
Completion of such a facility “would be a nightmare scenario that risks igniting a new escalatory spiral,” warned Kelsey Davenport, the director of nonproliferation policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association. “Given how close Iran is to a bomb, it has very little room to ratchet up its program without tripping U.S. and Israeli red lines. So at this point, any further escalation increases the risk of conflict.”
Iranian President’s Office via AP
Then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, visits the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Facility on April 8, 2008, near Natanz, Iran.
The construction at the Natanz site comes five years after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the nuclear accord. Trump argued the deal did not address Tehran’s ballistic missile program, nor its support of militias across the wider Middle East.
But what it did do was strictly limit Iran’s enrichment of uranium to 3.67% purity, powerful enough only to power civilian power stations, and keep its stockpile to just some 660 pounds.
Since the demise of the nuclear accord, Iran has said it is enriching uranium up to 60%, though inspectors recently discovered the country had produced uranium particles that were 83.7% pure. That is just a short step from reaching the 90% threshold of weapons-grade uranium.
As of February, international inspectors estimated Iran’s stockpile was over 10 times what it was under the Obama-era deal, with enough enriched uranium to allow Tehran to make “several” nuclear bombs, according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
President Joe Biden and Israel’s prime minister have said they won’t allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon. “We believe diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal, but the president has also been clear that we have not removed any option from the table,” the White House said in a statement to the AP.
The Islamic Republic denies it is seeking nuclear weapons, though officials in Tehran now openly discuss their ability to pursue one.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations, in response to questions from the AP regarding the construction, said that “Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities are transparent and under the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.” However, Iran has been limiting access for international inspectors for years.
Kazem Ghane, IRNA via AP
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and Iranian technicians prepare to cut the connections between the twin cascades for 20% uranium enrichment at the Natanz nuclear site Jan. 20, 2014, near Natanz, Iran.
Iran says the new construction will replace an above-ground centrifuge manufacturing center at Natanz struck by an explosion and fire in July 2020. Tehran blamed the incident on Israel, long suspected of running sabotage campaigns against its program.
Tehran has not acknowledged any other plans for the facility, though it would have to declare the site to the IAEA if they planned to introduce uranium into it. The Vienna-based IAEA did not respond to questions about the new underground facility.
The new project is being constructed next to Natanz, about 140 miles south of Tehran. Natanz has been a point of international concern since its existence became known two decades ago.
Protected by anti-aircraft batteries, fencing and Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the facility sprawls across 1 square mile in the country’s arid Central Plateau.
Satellite photos taken in April by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by the AP show Iran burrowing into the Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, or “Pickaxe Mountain,” which is just beyond Natanz’s southern fencing.
A different set of images analyzed by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies reveals that four entrances have been dug into the mountainside, two to the east and another two to the west. Each is 20 feet wide and 26 feet tall.
The scale of the work can be measured in large dirt mounds, two to the west and one to the east. Based on the size of the spoil piles and other satellite data, experts at the center told AP that Iran is likely building a facility at a depth of between 260 feet and 328 feet. The center’s analysis, which it provided exclusively to AP, is the first to estimate the tunnel system’s depth based on satellite imagery.
The Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington-based nonprofit long focused on Iran’s nuclear program, suggested last year the tunnels could go even deeper.
Experts say the size of the construction project indicates Iran likely would be able to use the underground facility to enrich uranium as well — not just to build centrifuges. Those tube-shaped centrifuges, arranged in large cascades of dozens of machines, rapidly spin uranium gas to enrich it. Additional cascades spinning would allow Iran to quickly enrich uranium under the mountain’s protection.
“So the depth of the facility is a concern because it would be much harder for us. It would be much harder to destroy using conventional weapons, such as like a typical bunker buster bomb,” said Steven De La Fuente, a research associate at the center who led the analysis of the tunnel work.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Michaela Jilkova // Getty Images
The early years of nuclear weapons were marked by an arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the United States built the first nuclear bombs, dropping them on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, the Soviet Union's nuclear program was not far behind. By the beginning of the 1950s, both countries had even more powerful weapons—hydrogen bombs.
Each side built more and bigger bombs until the stockpiles peaked in the late 1960s at 31,255 for the United States and 40,159 for the Soviet Union. One bomb that the Soviet Union developed, known as the Tsar Bomba, was too big to use. When it was tested in 1961 on Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, it destroyed all of the houses in a village 34 miles from ground zero.
Today the stockpiles have shrunk, but the battles over nuclear weapons remain and feature new actors. Experts say North Korea could have materials for as many as 100 nuclear bombs, and although Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful use, there is concern over whether it will develop weapons.
Using government documents, news reports, and academic studies, Stacker compiled 26 facts and events that shaped the state of nuclear weapons in the world today.
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Michaela Jilkova // Getty Images
The early years of nuclear weapons were marked by an arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the United States built the first nuclear bombs, dropping them on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, the Soviet Union's nuclear program was not far behind. By the beginning of the 1950s, both countries had even more powerful weapons—hydrogen bombs.
Each side built more and bigger bombs until the stockpiles peaked in the late 1960s at 31,255 for the United States and 40,159 for the Soviet Union. One bomb that the Soviet Union developed, known as the Tsar Bomba, was too big to use. When it was tested in 1961 on Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, it destroyed all of the houses in a village 34 miles from ground zero.
Today the stockpiles have shrunk, but the battles over nuclear weapons remain and feature new actors. Experts say North Korea could have materials for as many as 100 nuclear bombs, and although Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful use, there is concern over whether it will develop weapons.
Using government documents, news reports, and academic studies, Stacker compiled 26 facts and events that shaped the state of nuclear weapons in the world today.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Chung Sung-Jun // Getty Images
According to security experts, nine countries now have nuclear weapons (whether acknowledged or not): the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of its weapons. The United States and what was then the Soviet Union were the first to develop them, followed by the United Kingdom, France, and China.
Chung Sung-Jun // Getty Images
According to security experts, nine countries now have nuclear weapons (whether acknowledged or not): the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of its weapons. The United States and what was then the Soviet Union were the first to develop them, followed by the United Kingdom, France, and China.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Express // Getty Images
The United States and other countries hoped to stop the spread of nuclear weapons with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which went into effect in 1970. Since then, 191 states have joined, including the five so-called nuclear weapons states—the U.S., Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China. These countries were allowed to keep their weapons but are supposed to be reducing the number of them they have.
Express // Getty Images
The United States and other countries hoped to stop the spread of nuclear weapons with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which went into effect in 1970. Since then, 191 states have joined, including the five so-called nuclear weapons states—the U.S., Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China. These countries were allowed to keep their weapons but are supposed to be reducing the number of them they have.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Pakistan Ministry of Defense // Getty Images
India, Pakistan, and Israel, all of which have nuclear arsenals, never signed the treaty. Israel is believed to have about 100 weapons. North Korea withdrew from the pact in 2003 and, since 2006, has tested nuclear explosives a number of times.
Pakistan Ministry of Defense // Getty Images
India, Pakistan, and Israel, all of which have nuclear arsenals, never signed the treaty. Israel is believed to have about 100 weapons. North Korea withdrew from the pact in 2003 and, since 2006, has tested nuclear explosives a number of times.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Canva
At its peak in 1967, the U.S. had 31,255 nuclear weapons in its stockpile. The Soviet Union topped that with 40,159 in 1968. Globally, the numbers have dropped overall; however, more countries now have nuclear weapons.
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Canva
At its peak in 1967, the U.S. had 31,255 nuclear weapons in its stockpile. The Soviet Union topped that with 40,159 in 1968. Globally, the numbers have dropped overall; however, more countries now have nuclear weapons.
You may also like: How America has changed since the first Census in 1790
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Kevin Frayer // Getty Images
China has what the Union of Concerned Scientists classifies as a relatively modest nuclear arsenal of about 250 warheads and bombs, of which fewer than 100 could reach the U.S. China conducted its first nuclear test explosion in 1964. The country's limited number of nuclear weapons can be traced back to the attitude of its former chairman, Mao Zedong, who called them "paper tigers."
Kevin Frayer // Getty Images
China has what the Union of Concerned Scientists classifies as a relatively modest nuclear arsenal of about 250 warheads and bombs, of which fewer than 100 could reach the U.S. China conducted its first nuclear test explosion in 1964. The country's limited number of nuclear weapons can be traced back to the attitude of its former chairman, Mao Zedong, who called them "paper tigers."
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
mwreck // Shutterstock
According to the Brookings Institution, the United States has never recovered 11 nuclear bombs lost in accidents. Four were aboard a plane that crashed in Greenland in 1968, contaminating a fjord when the weapons broke open. A 1989 study found that 50 warheads and nine nuclear reactors had been lost at the bottom of the ocean as a result of accidents involving the U.S. and the former Soviet Union.
mwreck // Shutterstock
According to the Brookings Institution, the United States has never recovered 11 nuclear bombs lost in accidents. Four were aboard a plane that crashed in Greenland in 1968, contaminating a fjord when the weapons broke open. A 1989 study found that 50 warheads and nine nuclear reactors had been lost at the bottom of the ocean as a result of accidents involving the U.S. and the former Soviet Union.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Chip Somodevilla // Getty Images
If missiles were believed to have been launched at the U.S., the president would have only about 12 minutes to decide whether to counter with a retaliatory intercontinental ballistic missile—what is known as the launch-under-attack option.
Chip Somodevilla // Getty Images
If missiles were believed to have been launched at the U.S., the president would have only about 12 minutes to decide whether to counter with a retaliatory intercontinental ballistic missile—what is known as the launch-under-attack option.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
AFP // Getty Images
Since 2007, Israel is believed to have assassinated seven scientists and military officials essential to Iran's nuclear program. The first was a nuclear scientist who died in a gas leak at a uranium plant. Among the most recent was in November 2020, when Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's top nuclear scientist, was ambushed and shot to death. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful use, but there is widespread concern that the country will work to develop weapons. Americans and Israelis say Fakhrizadeh was crucial to Iran's nuclear weapons development.
AFP // Getty Images
Since 2007, Israel is believed to have assassinated seven scientists and military officials essential to Iran's nuclear program. The first was a nuclear scientist who died in a gas leak at a uranium plant. Among the most recent was in November 2020, when Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's top nuclear scientist, was ambushed and shot to death. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful use, but there is widespread concern that the country will work to develop weapons. Americans and Israelis say Fakhrizadeh was crucial to Iran's nuclear weapons development.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
TIMOTHY A. CLARY // Getty Images
Under President Biden, the United States is negotiating with Iran to try to revive a nuclear agreement that would limit Iran's production of nuclear fuel in return for relaxing sanctions that have crippled its economy. The deal went into effect under President Obama, but it was scuttled by President Trump. As of April 2023, the administration is exploring a "freeze for freeze" approach that would call for Iran to reduce its nuclear development program in exchange for relief from certain sanctions.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY // Getty Images
Under President Biden, the United States is negotiating with Iran to try to revive a nuclear agreement that would limit Iran's production of nuclear fuel in return for relaxing sanctions that have crippled its economy. The deal went into effect under President Obama, but it was scuttled by President Trump. As of April 2023, the administration is exploring a "freeze for freeze" approach that would call for Iran to reduce its nuclear development program in exchange for relief from certain sanctions.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Majid Saeedi // Getty Images
In response to the attack on its main nuclear facility in Natanz, Iran announced that it was enriching uranium at 60% for the first time. This was one of several moves Iran made in response to sanctions that would cut the time necessary to develop a nuclear weapon. It also announced it would install extra centrifuges needed for uranium enrichment and begin producing uranium metal used in a weapon's core; the country has refused U.N. inspectors daily access to its sites.
Majid Saeedi // Getty Images
In response to the attack on its main nuclear facility in Natanz, Iran announced that it was enriching uranium at 60% for the first time. This was one of several moves Iran made in response to sanctions that would cut the time necessary to develop a nuclear weapon. It also announced it would install extra centrifuges needed for uranium enrichment and begin producing uranium metal used in a weapon's core; the country has refused U.N. inspectors daily access to its sites.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Photoshot // Getty Images
The B53 bomb went into service in 1962. The heaviest nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal after the Cold War, the bomb weighed 8,850 pounds and was about the size of a minivan. In 1997, the bombs were taken out of the active stockpile, and in 2011, they were finally disassembled.
Photoshot // Getty Images
The B53 bomb went into service in 1962. The heaviest nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal after the Cold War, the bomb weighed 8,850 pounds and was about the size of a minivan. In 1997, the bombs were taken out of the active stockpile, and in 2011, they were finally disassembled.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Education Images // Getty Images
The largest known weapon currently in the U.S. stockpile is the B83, a 1.2-megaton bomb. Its explosive power is 80 times that of the bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima.
Education Images // Getty Images
The largest known weapon currently in the U.S. stockpile is the B83, a 1.2-megaton bomb. Its explosive power is 80 times that of the bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Canva
The United States would need to spend $600 billion through 2030 to modernize its nuclear arsenal, which covers operating costs, extending the life of its nuclear weapons, and purchasing new delivery systems for what's known as the strategic triad—bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Canva
The United States would need to spend $600 billion through 2030 to modernize its nuclear arsenal, which covers operating costs, extending the life of its nuclear weapons, and purchasing new delivery systems for what's known as the strategic triad—bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
DON EMMERT // Getty Images
A treaty whose goal is to eliminate nuclear weapons entered international law in late 2020. Sixty eight countries have ratified the accord, but none of the nine countries with nuclear weapons have. These countries boycotted the negotiations that brought about the treaty, and they are not bound by it if they do not sign it. The U.S. has argued that the treaty will not result in the elimination of a single weapon.
DON EMMERT // Getty Images
A treaty whose goal is to eliminate nuclear weapons entered international law in late 2020. Sixty eight countries have ratified the accord, but none of the nine countries with nuclear weapons have. These countries boycotted the negotiations that brought about the treaty, and they are not bound by it if they do not sign it. The U.S. has argued that the treaty will not result in the elimination of a single weapon.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Smith Collection/Gado // Getty Images
The United States provides a "nuclear umbrella," or guarantee of defense to its non-nuclear allies, including the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) plus Australia, Japan, and South Korea. Japan demilitarized after World War II, though in 2014 then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the ban on the military defending allies under attack.
Smith Collection/Gado // Getty Images
The United States provides a "nuclear umbrella," or guarantee of defense to its non-nuclear allies, including the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) plus Australia, Japan, and South Korea. Japan demilitarized after World War II, though in 2014 then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the ban on the military defending allies under attack.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Bettmann // Getty Images
The U.S. removed the last of its forward-deployed nuclear weapons, or those located in other countries, from the Philippines, Guam, South Korea, Taiwan, and Okinawa in 1991. At its peak in 1977, the country had 3,200 such weapons deployed in the Pacific region.
Bettmann // Getty Images
The U.S. removed the last of its forward-deployed nuclear weapons, or those located in other countries, from the Philippines, Guam, South Korea, Taiwan, and Okinawa in 1991. At its peak in 1977, the country had 3,200 such weapons deployed in the Pacific region.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
KIM WON-JIN // Getty Images
Experts say North Korea could have materials for up to 100 nuclear weapons, and the country has tested ballistic missiles that could reach the U.S. North Korea has continued testing despite U.N. Security Council sanctions and summits with both South Korea and the U.S. regarding its nuclear weapons. In March 2023, North Korea revealed that it possesses small nuclear warheads capable of being fitted to short-range missiles.
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KIM WON-JIN // Getty Images
Experts say North Korea could have materials for up to 100 nuclear weapons, and the country has tested ballistic missiles that could reach the U.S. North Korea has continued testing despite U.N. Security Council sanctions and summits with both South Korea and the U.S. regarding its nuclear weapons. In March 2023, North Korea revealed that it possesses small nuclear warheads capable of being fitted to short-range missiles.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
JUNG YEON-JE // Getty Images
Just before the U.S. presidential election in 2020, North Korea unveiled a large new intercontinental ballistic missile, parading it through the streets of Pyongyang. The Washington Post described the untested missile as one of the largest "road-mobile, liquid-fueled" ballistic missiles ever made and noted that the Hwasong-15, the largest missile before this, could likely reach all of the U.S. The U.S. and Russia have produced larger missiles, but those are powered by solid fuel and are kept in silos.
JUNG YEON-JE // Getty Images
Just before the U.S. presidential election in 2020, North Korea unveiled a large new intercontinental ballistic missile, parading it through the streets of Pyongyang. The Washington Post described the untested missile as one of the largest "road-mobile, liquid-fueled" ballistic missiles ever made and noted that the Hwasong-15, the largest missile before this, could likely reach all of the U.S. The U.S. and Russia have produced larger missiles, but those are powered by solid fuel and are kept in silos.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
AFP Contributor // Getty Images
North Korea has conducted a number of nuclear tests, most during Kim Jong Un's time as the country's leader. The first bombs were detonated in 2006 and 2009 under Kim Jong Il; tests were then done in 2013, twice in 2016, and in 2017 under Kim Jong Un. North Korea said the last test was of a thermonuclear weapon. In 2022, North Korea conducted 63 missile tests, and while none contained a nuclear payload, the frequency of such tests may be a harbinger of the eventual development of further nuclear payload capability.
AFP Contributor // Getty Images
North Korea has conducted a number of nuclear tests, most during Kim Jong Un's time as the country's leader. The first bombs were detonated in 2006 and 2009 under Kim Jong Il; tests were then done in 2013, twice in 2016, and in 2017 under Kim Jong Un. North Korea said the last test was of a thermonuclear weapon. In 2022, North Korea conducted 63 missile tests, and while none contained a nuclear payload, the frequency of such tests may be a harbinger of the eventual development of further nuclear payload capability.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
SAUL LOEB // Getty Images
Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump attended a summit in Singapore in 2018, making Kim the first North Korean leader to meet with a sitting U.S. president. The summit ended with little substance, and Trump was criticized for giving credibility to Kim. However, some scholars argue that the talks showed Kim is rational and might be persuaded to hold off on new testing if the Biden administration promises something in return.
SAUL LOEB // Getty Images
Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump attended a summit in Singapore in 2018, making Kim the first North Korean leader to meet with a sitting U.S. president. The summit ended with little substance, and Trump was criticized for giving credibility to Kim. However, some scholars argue that the talks showed Kim is rational and might be persuaded to hold off on new testing if the Biden administration promises something in return.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Vietnam News Agency // Getty Images
In 2019, Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump met for a second time in Hanoi, Vietnam. The two-day meeting ended unexpectedly in the middle of the second day, and no joint statement was issued. The same differences that tripped up the first meeting—the definition of denuclearization among them—seemed to have played a role here.
Vietnam News Agency // Getty Images
In 2019, Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump met for a second time in Hanoi, Vietnam. The two-day meeting ended unexpectedly in the middle of the second day, and no joint statement was issued. The same differences that tripped up the first meeting—the definition of denuclearization among them—seemed to have played a role here.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Dong-A Ilbo // Getty Images
At their third meeting, former President Donald Trump crossed into the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea and met for 50 minutes with Kim Jong Un. Nonetheless, no further progress was made on nuclear talks, and Trump was again criticized for giving legitimacy to Kim without any concessions.
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Dong-A Ilbo // Getty Images
At their third meeting, former President Donald Trump crossed into the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea and met for 50 minutes with Kim Jong Un. Nonetheless, no further progress was made on nuclear talks, and Trump was again criticized for giving legitimacy to Kim without any concessions.
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An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Xinhua News Agency // Contributor via Getty
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has meant mounting tensions not only in the immediate area but also between Russia and NATO allies. As of 2022, Russia has the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world, closely followed by the U.S. Together, the two countries own 90% of the world's nuclear weapons. In September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the use of "all weapons available" in the event of an attack on Russia by Western allies of Ukraine, alluding to the nation's nuclear stockpile and emphasizing that the threat was not a bluff. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken responded with a condemnation of Putin's threat, calling it "loose talk." Other U.S. officials underscored Blinken's point, stating that there was no indication that Russia was actually making moves toward employing a nuclear weapon.
Xinhua News Agency // Contributor via Getty
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has meant mounting tensions not only in the immediate area but also between Russia and NATO allies. As of 2022, Russia has the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world, closely followed by the U.S. Together, the two countries own 90% of the world's nuclear weapons. In September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the use of "all weapons available" in the event of an attack on Russia by Western allies of Ukraine, alluding to the nation's nuclear stockpile and emphasizing that the threat was not a bluff. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken responded with a condemnation of Putin's threat, calling it "loose talk." Other U.S. officials underscored Blinken's point, stating that there was no indication that Russia was actually making moves toward employing a nuclear weapon.
