Continued silence could pose serious risks of escalation in the ongoing conflict with Iran, a group of 30 Congressmen has said
A group of 30 Democrats in the US House of Representatives have demanded that the administration of President Donald Trump disclose information about Israel’s nuclear arsenal and relevant policies. The lack of transparency threatens the entire Middle East, the lawmakers have argued.
West Jerusalem has neither confirmed nor denied possessing nuclear weapons, nor has it publicly presented any doctrine outlining the potential use of such weapons or its possible “red lines.” The US, which has been aware of the Israeli nuclear program at least since the early 1960s, has remained silent on the issue.
Washington is fighting “side by side with a country whose potential nuclear weapons program the United States government officially refuses to acknowledge,” congressmen led by Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The risks of miscalculation, escalation, and nuclear use in this environment are not theoretical,” the letter stated.
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The group has demanded that the US hold Israel to the same standard of transparency as other countries, adding that a “coherent nonproliferation policy for the Middle East,” including on Iran’s nuclear program and Saudi nuclear ambitions, would otherwise be impossible.
