Statement: Illegal U.S.-Israel Attacks Not Justifiable on Nonproliferation Grounds, Feb. 28, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials have offered conflicting justifications for the renewed U.S. strikes on Iran, including the claim that Iran’s nuclear and  missile programs posed an imminent threat to the United States. There is no evidence, however, to support those claims. Read this issue brief for answers to FAQs on these claims.

When the Trump administration announced a joint declaration on U.S. nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia in November 2025, the White House claimed the proposed deal would lead to a “decades-long multi-billion-dollar nuclear energy partnership” with benefits to American nuclear companies. But U.S. officials dodged key questions about the nonproliferation obligations Saudi Arabia—a country that has openly threatened to develop nuclear weapons if Iran does—will be subject to under the proposed agreement. 

With the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the last bilateral treaty limiting the massive U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, civil society is speaking out – on behalf of an American and global public concerned about nuclear weapons – against the failure of U.S. and other global leaders to halt the dangerous slide into unconstrained global nuclear competition.