Countries with Nuclear Weapons Capability

[Alia Rafique]

• Acknowledged: Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, United States, North Korea1

• Unacknowledged: Israel

• Seeking: Iran2

• Abandoned: South Africa—Constructed but then voluntarily dismantled six uranium bombs. Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine—When Soviet Union broke up, these former states possessed nuclear warheads that they have since given up.

1. North Korea tested its first nuclear device on October 9, 2006.

2. In Aug. 2005, U.S. intelligence estimated that Iran would possess nuclear weapons in the next decade. In Jan. 2006, Iran announced its decision to restart nuclear research. Source: U.S. State Department, TIME magazine and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.