Russia and the United States each possess estimated inventories of more than 5,000 nuclear warheads

Overview Debates Related claims Topics Sources

Atlantic Council fellow Akeel Abbas stated that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi used the Jurf al-Nasr smuggling crackdown to cut financial lifelines and force militia disarmament

Kataib Hezbollah issued threats and corruption accusations against Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi after the premier vowed to confront armed groups refusing unconditional state disarmament

While some Iraqi armed factions agreed to surrender their weapons to the state, Kataib Hezbollah and other powerful groups refused to disarm

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with PMF leaders Falih Al-Fayyadh, Hadi Al-Ameri, and Abdul Aziz Al-Mohammadawi to defuse mounting confrontations over state-mandated disarmament

The Iraqi government extended the official deadline for non-state armed factions to surrender their weapons to the state until June 30, 2027

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that effective 21st-century arms control must include China due to the size and growth of Beijing's nuclear arsenal

The New START nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia expired in February 2026 after President Donald Trump rejected a Russian proposal for a one-year extension

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to discuss global nuclear weapons reduction during the trilateral summit in Shenzhen, China with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin

Beijing has historically resisted joining nuclear arms control talks with Washington and Moscow, arguing that the United States and Russia hold far larger nuclear arsenals

China maintains an estimated stockpile of over 600 nuclear warheads, which U.S. officials project could expand to 1,000 warheads by 2030

Senior U.S. officials stated that the administration does not expect the first trilateral summit in Shenzhen, China to yield a nuclear arms control agreement, describing it as an initial conversation

The United States military reportedly removed its nuclear weapons from RAF Lakenheath in 2008

The expiration of the New START treaty in February 2026 removed caps on the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia for the first time in over a half-century

China's foreign ministry stated in October 2026 that joining trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations with the U.S. and Russia is neither fair, reasonable, nor realistic due to mismatched nuclear arsenals

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on November 8, 2026, that he expected to meet Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Shenzhen to discuss denuclearization and ending the war in Iran

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi canceled contracts at Mosul airport associated with armed groups as part of ongoing efforts to disarm Iranian-backed factions in Iraq

Stimson Center director Sun Yun stated that China will avoid engaging in substantive talks on nuclear arms control, Ukraine, or Iran during the proposed Xi-Trump-Putin trilateral summit

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed interest in discussing nuclear arms control during the proposed Xi-Trump-Putin meeting at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, while Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to focus on the war in Ukraine without Ukrainian representation

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ruled out dialogue with Washington on November 4, 2026, until the United States abandons its hostile policy

Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is legally bound to declare all nuclear material and permit IAEA inspectors to verify it is not diverted from peaceful uses.