U.S. carries out a subterranean “non-nuclear experiment” in Nevada to detect nuclear explosions — amid the war with Iran

The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) carried out “a subterranean, non-nuclear, high-explosive chemical experiment” at a national security site in Nevada, as Al Jazeera reports.

According to the NNSA, the test “increases the United States’ ability to detect low-yield nuclear explosions”. The agency’s administrator, Brandon Williams, said: “It takes nuclear expertise to detect nuclear activities, and experiments like these ensure that America remains unmatched in detection.”

The NNSA added that the experiment strengthens the Trump administration’s “leadership” in global nuclear security. The test comes as Washington continues its campaign against Iran on the grounds that Tehran “must never have nuclear weapons” — one of the declared objectives of the seven-month war.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is peaceful, but its underground facilities have been hit during the war, and the question of inspecting them remains one of the hottest points in any possible negotiation.