DAWN ONLINE

Nearly 30 Democratic lawmakers have urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to end Washington’s longstanding ambiguity over Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons programme, arguing that such secrecy has become untenable during the ongoing war on Iran.

Israel is widely believed to be in possession of nuclear weapons, though it neither acknowledges nor denies having a nuclear arsenal.

In a May 4 letter addressed to Secretary Rubio, the lawmakers said the US was “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 move is led by Congressman Joaquin Castro, a senior Democratic lawmaker from Texas who has served in the US House of Representatives since 2013 and is known for his work on foreign policy and intelligence-related issues, including his tenure on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

In a post on the social media platform X on Thursday, Castro said, “For nearly six decades, the US has voluntarily remained in the dark on Israel’s nuclear capabilities. The ambiguity ends now.

“There is too much at stake to accept ignorance. We are at war alongside Israel against Iran without knowing what their red lines are for using a nuclear weapon,” he said.

The letter repeatedly questioned the US government’s refusal to publicly acknowledge Israel’s alleged nuclear arsenal, while noting that multiple nuclear-armed states are directly involved in or affected by the conflict.

“The risks of miscalculation, escalation, and nuclear use in this environment are not theoretical,” the lawmakers warned, adding that Congress had a “constitutional responsibility to be fully informed about the nuclear balance in the Middle East”.

The lawmakers argued that “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 document is unusual because it openly presses the State Department to answer detailed questions about Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons capability, including warheads, launch systems, fissile material production, nuclear doctrine and possible thresholds for nuclear use.

“What nuclear weapons capability does Israel have?” the lawmakers asked directly. They also requested information on “any nuclear weapons systems that Israel fields, including warheads and launchers”.

The letter sought clarification on whether Israel possessed uranium enrichment capability and whether the Negev Nuclear Research Centre at Dimona produced fissile material or plutonium.

The lawmakers further asked whether Israel had communicated to US officials “any nuclear doctrine, red lines, or thresholds for nuclear use in the context of the current conflict with Iran”.

Another question asked: “Has the administration received any assurances from Israel that nuclear weapons will not be used?”

The lawmakers also sought to know whether there had been “any indications of Israel planning to use or deploy nuclear weapons during the recent Iran conflict or during other conflicts.”