News Desk
US President Donald Trump defended the ongoing war with Iran by saying “lunatics can’t have a nuclear weapon,” a line delivered to a cheering crowd as he rejected Tehran’s latest proposal and insisted the conflict was necessary to stop Iran from going nuclear.
But his comments have revived an uncomfortable historical truth: the world has nine nuclear‑armed countries, yet only one nation has ever used a nuclear weapon in war — the United States, the same country Trump now leads.
Trump told supporters that the United States “cannot let lunatics have a nuclear weapon,” framing the war as a pre‑emptive act to prevent Iran from joining the nuclear club. His remarks came even as he claimed hostilities had been “terminated” following a ceasefire, though he kept both military action and negotiations on the table.
Today, nine states possess nuclear weapons:
the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.
But only one has ever detonated nuclear bombs in conflict — the United States in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
For many international observers, this historical asymmetry complicates Washington’s moral authority when it warns others about nuclear dangers. Critics argue that the United States continues to shape global nuclear norms while holding a singular place in history as the only country to have used nuclear weapons on civilians, even as it seeks to prevent others from acquiring them.
Trump framed the Iran conflict as a necessary stand against “lunatics” seeking nuclear capability, a phrase that drew applause from the crowd and chants of “USA” . But analysts note that the contrast he drew sits uneasily with global perceptions of political leadership. Critics often point out that Iran’s senior political figures tend to come from highly educated, technocratic backgrounds, with long careers in state institutions and foreign policy. In contrast, the United States has faced recurring debates about their moral conduct, ethics and legal troubles of several of its own political leaders, raising questions abroad about how Washington defines “responsible” stewardship of nuclear power. But analysts note that the United States itself maintains one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals and has repeatedly modernised its stockpile.
Iran, meanwhile, has long denied seeking a nuclear weapon, though Western intelligence agencies say Tehran has expanded its enrichment capacity in recent years. Analysts note that Iran has enriched uranium beyond 60 percent, a level that has drawn warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency, though Tehran has not moved toward the 90 percent enrichment associated with weapons‑grade material. Iranian officials maintain that their programme is for civilian energy and medical use, and they continue to permit inspections under the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty, of which Iran is a signatory. International observers often contrast this with the Middle East’s undeclared nuclear power, which is not a member of the NPT and is widely reported to possess nuclear weapons. Critics say Washington’s closest regional partner remains outside the global non‑proliferation framework even as the United States warns others about nuclear ambitions.
Trump’s remarks highlight a recurring tension in global nuclear politics: the United States positions itself as the guardian against proliferation, even as its own nuclear legacy remains unmatched in destructive precedent.
For many countries in the Global South, this contradiction fuels scepticism toward Washington’s claims of moral leadership. The question resurfacing after Trump’s latest speech is not only whether Iran seeks a bomb, but whether the world’s only wartime nuclear power can credibly decide who is “fit” to possess one.
