Washington: President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing, a move that could end more than three decades of restraint by the United States and spark global concern about a new arms race.

Trump made the announcement through his social media account while traveling to South Korea for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He said the decision was necessary because other countries, particularly Russia and China, were advancing their nuclear capabilities.

“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,” Trump said.

The United States last conducted a full nuclear test in 1992, maintaining since then a mora

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