Israel, which does not officially acknowledge its nuclear capabilities, is actively modernising its nuclear arsenal, according to a report released on June 16 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The report estimates Israel possesses at least 90 nuclear warheads, supported by 30 aircraft, 50 land-based missiles, and 10 sea-based missiles capable of striking targets within a 4,450 km radius. Additionally, Israel is upgrading its plutonium production reactor at Dimona.

The findings come as Israel intensifies its conflict with Iran, following airstrikes launched on June 13 targeting Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.

Israel described the attacks as pre-emptive measures to halt Iran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. The strikes, followed by Iranian retaliatory attacks, have resulted in hundreds of deaths, including civilians, escalating tensions in the region.

SIPRI’s report highlights Israel’s ongoing nuclear ambiguity, a policy since the 1960s stating it “won’t be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East.”

In 2024, Israel reportedly tested a missile propulsion system potentially linked to its Jericho family of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

Unlike Iran, a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Israel has not joined the treaty or allowed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of its nuclear facilities, drawing criticism for evading international oversight.

The international response to Israel’s actions has been uneven.

The Group of Seven (G7) nations issued a statement on June 16 condemning Iran as “the principal source of regional instability and terror” and asserting that “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”

US President Donald Trump, claimed prior knowledge of Israel’s strikes, saying, “We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I would have loved to see a deal worked out.”

Critics, including Qatar’s ambassador to Austria, Jassim Yacoub Al-Hammadi, have questioned the international community’s silence on Israel’s nuclear programme.

At the IAEA’s March board meeting in Vienna, Al-Hammadi urged intensified efforts to bring Israel’s nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards and for Israel to join the NPT as a non-nuclear state.

Arab News noted the contrast: while Iran’s nuclear programme, deemed energy-focused by the IAEA, faces scrutiny, Israel’s undeclared arsenal escapes similar accountability.

Israel’s actions also violate UN Security Council Resolution 487, adopted in 1981 after Israel’s attack on Iraq’s nuclear research facility.

The resolution, still in effect, demands Israel place its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, a call it has ignored.

Globally, SIPRI reports that all nine nuclear-armed states – United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel – continued modernising their arsenals in 2024.

Of an estimated 12,241 warheads worldwide in January this year, 9,614 were in military stockpiles, with 3,912 deployed on missiles and aircraft.

Approximately 2,100 were on high operational alert, primarily held by Russia and the US, though China may now maintain some warheads on missiles during peacetime.

SIPRI warns that the global trend of reducing nuclear inventories is slowing, with new deployments outpacing dismantlement, signalling a potential increase in nuclear stockpiles in coming years.

Sources: SIPRI