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Thirty House Democrats led by Rep. Joaquin Castro sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 4, 2026, requesting public recognition of Israel's nuclear weapons program. The move comes as President Donald Trump collaborates with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a military campaign against Iran to prevent its nuclear development. U.S.
SemaforThe United States has upheld a policy of official ambiguity on Israel's nuclear weapons program since the Nixon administration, accepting the program's development and maintaining bipartisan silence to shield Israel from international criticism. This long-standing approach is now under scrutiny amid the US-led military campaign against Iran, aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Thirty House Democrats, led by Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday requesting that the Trump administration publicly acknowledge Israel's possession of nuclear weapons and provide detailed information about the program.
" The lawmakers stated they do not believe they have received that information.
The letter highlights what it describes as a contradiction in US policy: collaborating with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the military campaign against Iran while refusing to acknowledge Israel's own nuclear program. "We are, in the fullest sense, fighting this war side by side with a country whose potential nuclear weapons program the United States government officially refuses to acknowledge," the letter reads.
It requests that Israel be held to the same standard of transparency as other nations with nuclear capabilities, such as the United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, China, and North Korea. The lawmakers also cited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's statement that his country would seek nuclear weapons if Iran develops them, arguing the US policy of silence harms nonproliferation efforts in the Middle East.
The letter references a 2023 statement by Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who said using a nuclear bomb in Gaza was "one of the possibilities" after the October 7 attacks. It notes continued reticence from Trump administration officials, including a March congressional hearing where Rep.
Castro asked Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno to detail Israel’s nuclear capabilities, but DiNanno responded that he could not answer the question.
The US-led war in Iran began on February 28, 2026, with the objective of ensuring Tehran cannot build a nuclear weapon, as stated by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Before the 12-day Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025, intelligence agencies estimated Iran could produce enough bomb-grade uranium for a bomb in three to six months; that operation pushed the timeline back by nine months to a year.
The US military has largely avoided striking nuclear targets.
At a Pentagon press conference on Tuesday, Hegseth dismissed a leaked intelligence memo assessing the war's impact on Iran's nuclear program as speculation. "We don’t discuss the specifics about intel… I can’t confirm or deny whether that is correct," Hegseth said, while stating that Operation Midnight Hammer set back Iran’s nuclear program.
" During nine hours of congressional testimony last week, Hegseth said Iran had not given up its nuclear ambitions despite the prior operation.
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, pressed Hegseth on the discrepancy. "We had to start this war, you just said 60 days ago, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat. U.S. at exactly the same place as before." Iran's foreign minister stated, "there is no military solution to a political crisis" and called Trump's Project Freedom a "Project Deadlock."
Israel's nuclear arsenal is estimated at about 90 warheads, according to assessments cited in the letter. US law bans security assistance to countries failing to comply with international nuclear safeguards, which could require a waiver for aid to Israel.
" US officials have discussed the possibility that Israel would launch nuclear weapons if its air defense systems failed on a large scale, according to reports.
The United Arab Emirates is coordinating with Israel on the Iran war, according to Hot Air. Israel's foreign ministry has not commented on the Democrats' letter as of the latest reports in the source bundle. No publicly released evidence has documented direct Israeli nuclear involvement in the current conflict.
foxnews.comIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Jerusalem policy summit that two named operations destroyed Iran's nuclear infrastructure and killed 20 scientists. He also described strikes on missile and regime targets plus new security zones in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon.
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