A group of congressmen in the US has called on President Donald Trump's administration to officially recognize that Israel possesses nuclear weapons. This demand, put forward by representatives of the Democratic Party, is considered an unprecedented step in Washington's policy. For nearly sixty years, the US has maintained silence regarding the Jewish state's policy on weapons of mass destruction.
In a letter addressed to Marco Rubio, Democrats emphasized that at a time when the US and Israel are in a state of sharp confrontation with Iran, Tel Aviv's ambiguous policy on nuclear weapons is further complicating a dangerous situation.
According to members of Congress, it is the constitutional duty of Congress to obtain full information about the nuclear balance in the Middle East, the level of risk to conflict participants, and the plans of the US administration. They noted that Washington's 'policy of ambiguity' toward Israel is a serious obstacle to the approach aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons in the region.
The appeal also raises questions about Israel's nuclear capabilities, the level of uranium enrichment, and whether any 'red lines' have been set regarding the use of nuclear weapons against the backdrop of the conflict with Iran.
Additionally, the congressmen inquired whether the US administration has received guarantees from Israel regarding the non-use of nuclear weapons.
Democrats believe that since Washington openly acknowledges that the UK, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, China, and North Korea possess nuclear weapons, the same standard should be applied to Israel.
Although there have been assumptions since the 1960s that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, it has never officially confirmed this and does not provide information about its nuclear stockpiles.
As early as 1973, The New York Times wrote that Israel might possess 10-20 nuclear warheads. Later, Mordechai Vanunu, a scientist involved in Israel's nuclear program, left the country and provided information to the British press about the Jewish state's secret nuclear program. Following this, he was accused of treason and imprisoned for a long term.
According to documents, in 1968, the Central Intelligence Agency warned US President Lyndon B. Johnson that Israel had created nuclear weapons. Later, in 1969, an agreement was reached between President Richard Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. According to it, Israel agreed not to officially acknowledge its nuclear arsenal and not to conduct tests, while the US eased the pressure.
According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, as of January 2025, Israel possessed approximately 90 nuclear warheads.
At the same time, according to Nuclear Threat Initiative data, Israel has submarines capable of carrying nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles with a range of 4800-6500 kilometers.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has also included Israel among the nine countries possessing weapons of mass destruction.
Observers believe that the fact that many lawmakers in the US are appealing to the White House on this issue indicates a shift in political sentiment in the country and that Washington's policy of unconditional support for Tel Aviv is being increasingly criticized.
The Washington Post reports that Avner Cohen, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said that the public discussion of Israel's nuclear weapons indicates that the long-standing 'policy of non-disclosure' between the two major US parties is breaking down.
On February 28, 2025, Israel, together with the US, launched large-scale military operations against Iran, but it is noted that they failed to fully achieve their intended goals.
Following this, some analysts are putting forward assumptions that Israel might use tactical nuclear weapons against Iran.
These concerns are not unfounded. In November 2023, Israel's Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Amihai Eliyahu, said that dropping an atomic bomb on the Gaza Strip was one of the possible options.
After this statement, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to check whether Israel possesses nuclear weapons.
In 2024, American Senator Lindsey Graham justified the US nuclear strike on Japan and said that Israel could do the same against Gaza, which caused a major controversy.
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