Gates: Toned-Down Nuclear Policies Do Not Apply To Iran, North Korea

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that a set of new policies designed to downplay the strategic role of nuclear weapons will not prevent the U.S. from using nuclear force against Iran and North Korea if necessary.

“The [new policies have] a very strong message for both Iran and North Korea,” Gates told reporters.

Gates explained that the new guidelines, introduced in the Defense Department’s Nuclear Posture Review, apply only to the 189 nations that have signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Neither Iran or North Korea are signatories.

“All options are on the table for countries in that category along with non state actors who might acquire nuclear weapons,” Gates stated.

Under the new guidelines, the U.S. nuclear stockpile will primarily be used as a deterrent against nuclear attacks alone. The U.S. will be restricted from using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear armed nations that have signed the NPT, even if said nations launch a biological or chemical attack.

However, Gates noted that this new restriction is not set in stone.

“The United States reserves the right to make any adjustment t to this policy that may be warranted by the evolution or proliferation of biological weapons,” Gates warned.

The Nuclear Posture Review also states that the U.S. will not test nuclear weapons or develop new nuclear warheads.