WASHINGTON - The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has said that US President Donald Trump's presidency has put a "spotlight" on the risks of nuclear weapons and "now" is the time to scrap the weapons of mass destruction.
"The election of President Donald Trump has made a lot of people feel very uncomfortable with the fact that he alone can authorize the use of nuclear weapons," the head of the International Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Beatrice Fihn, told reporters in Geneva on Friday.
Fihn further said Trump appeared to have a track record of "not listening to expertise," and insisted his supervision of a massive nuclear arsenal "just puts a spotlight" on the dangers of such weapons.
In his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September, Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if necessary.
“The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," Trump said then.
The nuclear disarmament group has also urged world nations to oppose nuclear weapons while warning that the specter of nuclear warfare is looming large.
“This is a time of great global tension, when fiery rhetoric could all too easily lead us, inexorably, to unspeakable horror,” ICAN said in a statement after winning the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
ICAN described the claim by some governments that nuclear weapons are a legitimate and essential source of security as misguided and dangerous.
The noble peace prize winner also said the world’s current situation is tense, adding that fiery rhetoric could lead to unspeakable horror.
The Nobel prize seeks to bolster the case of disarmament amid nuclear tensions between the United States and North Korea.
“All nations should reject these weapons completely - before they are ever used again,” ICAN's statement further said.
ICAN has hailed its winning of the noble prize as a great honor, adding that the award is a tribute to millions of people who have loudly protested against nuclear arms and have called for them to be fully abolished.