Feinstein urges clarification on no-first-use nuclear weapons policy

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) urged President Barack Obama to clarify that the United States would only use nuclear options in response to an attack and reject a policy of first-use in a letter sent on Tuesday.

“The only moral purpose for nuclear weapons is to deter their use by other nuclear powers,” Feinstein said. “To unambiguously state that we will never initiate nuclear war would reinforce an international norm that will help keep us safe and minimize the very real risk that a foreign power might someday misinterpret a benign rocket launch or a non-nuclear military action as a nuclear strike.”

Feinstein said that she was convinced that the United States is capable of responding to any threat that the nation or its allies may face without threatening a nuclear first strike.

“It is time for our policy to reflect our moral judgment that nuclear weapons are an abhorrent and perilous weapon that should never be used except in response to a nuclear attack,” Feinstein said. “I urge you declare a no-first-use policy, which would be a lasting commitment on behalf of the American people to peace and stability.”

Feinstein said that declaring a no-first-use policy would signify an important step toward fulfilling a goal the president made in a Prague meeting in 2009.