International scrutiny is mounting over Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program, as the country continues to reject inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and remains one of the very few nations that refuses to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Despite global calls for transparency, Israel maintains a strict policy of nuclear ambiguity and is the only country with an undeclared nuclear arsenal that has refused IAEA oversight, raising questions about global double standards in nuclear policy.

Israel has long been believed to possess nuclear weapons, but has never confirmed their existence. Analysts estimate Israel has between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads, based on satellite imagery, intelligence reports, and insider accounts. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) estimates about 90 warheads as of 2023.

In 1986, Mordechai Vanunu, a technician at Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility, leaked photos and documents to The Sunday Times detailing Israel’s covert weapons program. He was subsequently kidnapped by Israeli agents, tried in secret, and imprisoned.

Samson Option – Deterrence or Threat?

According to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, Israel maintains a doctrine known as the “Samson Option”, which implies the potential for a last-resort nuclear retaliation, targeting major cities in the US and Europe, should the state face annihilation.

Hersh’s book The Samson Option (1991) detailed how this posture serves as both deterrent and geopolitical leverage, and as a form of nuclear blackmail over so-called allies.

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Israel’s refusal to sign the NPT makes it the only Middle Eastern country that does not respect its disarmament and inspection commitments. The IAEA has confirmed that Israel does not allow inspections of its nuclear sites.

In contrast, nations like Iran — which is an NPT signatory — face routine inspections and sanctions based on far less definitive evidence of nuclear weapons development. Critics argue this discrepancy highlights a dangerous double standard in international enforcement.

Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter has called this “a blatant hypocrisy that undermines nonproliferation credibility.”

Under the U.S. Symington and Glenn Amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act, it is illegal for the U.S. to provide military aid to any country that has not signed the NPT and is engaged in nuclear weapons development. Nevertheless, the U.S. continues to provide billions annually in military aid to Israel.

Because U.S. policy avoids officially acknowledging Israel’s nuclear arsenal, the aid continues, despite violations of U.S. law.

In 2021, The Intercept published leaked documents revealing that U.S. officials are instructed not to discuss Israel’s nuclear weapons program in public, in order to avoid diplomatic or legal complications.

The growing unease surrounding Israel’s “Samson Option,” combined with its refusal to cooperate with international regulatory bodies, has reignited debate over whether U.S. policy is enabling a dangerous exception to global nuclear rules.