A group of Democratic U.S. lawmakers has urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to end official ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear arsenal and provide Congress with details on its capabilities and U.S. policy.
A group of Democratic U.S. lawmakers has urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to end the longstanding official ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear weapons capability, warning that the policy risks undermining nonproliferation efforts and increasing the danger of escalation amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
In a letter dated 4 May and shared publicly by Representative Joaquin Castro, the lawmakers argued that Congress and the American public have not been adequately informed about the nuclear dimensions of the conflict.
“We write to you regarding an urgent matter,” the lawmakers wrote. “The United States is currently engaged in a war against Iran, a conflict with nuclear dimensions that the administration has not adequately addressed with Congress or the American public.”
The letter states that Israel, which is fighting alongside the United States against Iran, is widely understood to possess nuclear weapons despite maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity.
“A policy of official ambiguity about the nuclear capabilities of one party to this conflict makes coherent nonproliferation policy in the Middle East impossible,” the lawmakers wrote, arguing that countries including Iran and Saudi Arabia make strategic decisions based on their perceptions of neighbouring states’ military capabilities.
The lawmakers requested detailed answers from the State Department regarding Israel’s alleged nuclear arsenal, including its warheads, launch systems, fissile material production, and nuclear doctrine.
The letter specifically references the Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, asking whether Israel possesses uranium enrichment capabilities and whether the facility produces fissile material or plutonium.
The lawmakers also asked whether Israel has communicated any “nuclear doctrine, red lines, or thresholds for nuclear use” to U.S. officials in the context of the current conflict with Iran, and whether Washington has received assurances that nuclear weapons would not be used.
In addition, the letter questioned whether the administration has contingency plans in the event of escalation involving Israeli nuclear facilities or potential nuclear use.
The lawmakers further raised concerns about restrictions on U.S. officials discussing Israel’s nuclear capability publicly, citing testimony from March in which Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation Thomas DiNanno declined to answer a congressional question on the matter.
The letter calls on the administration to review and rescind any policies limiting official discussion of Israel’s nuclear status.
Citing historical intelligence assessments, congressional testimony, and public statements by U.S. and Israeli officials, the lawmakers argued that “the public record strongly and consistently supports the conclusion that Israel possesses nuclear weapons.”
The letter references a 1974 U.S. Special National Intelligence Estimate concluding that Israel had already produced nuclear weapons, as well as comments by former U.S. officials, including Robert Gates.
It also mentions statements by Israeli officials that appeared to break with the country’s traditional policy of ambiguity, including comments by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former minister Amichai Eliyahu.
The lawmakers requested a full response from the State Department by 18 May.
