Titan Nuclear Missile Museum, Tucson, AZ. Photo by jmuhles
Western nations are working hard to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iran. They tried and failed to do so with North Korea.
The U.S. views these nations as “rogue states” which shouldn’t be trusted with nuclear weapons, but they think this is a double standard. The U.S., possessor of thousands of nuclear warheads, is the only nation ever to use one in a war.
So who has nukes besides the U.S. and Russia?
A 2005 BBC article asked this question, and included a map of estimated number of nuclear weapons per country.
The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty recognizes five nations as possessing nuclear weapons (with date of acquisition).
- The United States - 1945
- Russia - 1949
- The United Kingdom - 1952
- France - 1960
- China - 1964
Four more nations, who never signed the treaty, have successfully acquired them.
- India - 1974
- Pakistan - 1998
- North Korea - 2006
- Israel - Unknown
Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons or publicly conducted a test. But the Arms Control Association, a U.S. organization that tracks nuclear stockpiles, estimates Israel’s at 75 to 200 warheads.
The Times Online reports that intelligence experts now agree that North Korea is a full-fledged nuclear power.
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