Pakistan vs India: How Their Nuclear Arsenals Compare Amid Iran’s Warning to Israel

Quick Summary

• Iran has mentioned Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal in its escalating conflict with Israel, suggesting Pakistan might retaliate with a nuclear strike if Israel attacks Iran with nuclear weapons.
• Pakistan has officially denied making any such commitment.
• Pakistan reportedly possesses 100-120 nuclear warheads, designed for delivery via aircraft and land-based missiles, using highly-enriched uranium (HEU) produced in facilities located in Kahuta and Gadwal in Punjab. its HEU stockpile is estimated at 2.7-3.5 tonnes for military use.
• India holds a larger arsenal of approximately 180 warheads as of 2025 (Stockholm international Peace Research Institute data). Other nations possessing nuclear weapons include the US, Russia, Israel, China, France, the UK, North Korea-and India and Pakistan from South Asia specifically.
• The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict involves missile exchanges after Israeli strikes killed Iranian officials and damaged nuclear facilities; Iran responded with retaliatory missile attacks on major Israeli cities.

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Indian Opinion Analysis
The invocation of Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities by an Iranian official introduces notable geopolitical considerations for South Asia beyond the Middle Eastern tensions between Israel and Iran. Although Pakistan denies any direct support or commitment to intervene using its arsenal against Israel on behalf of Iran, repeated references to Pakistani nukes highlight their utility as a strategic deterrent amid global conflict narratives.

From India’s perspective-given its own substantial arsenal-the implications extend towards regional security dynamics where both neighbors engage strategically through posturing related to their military strengths but remain aware of international scrutiny on proliferation risks.

Further developments may lead New Delhi to monitor how external conflicts indirectly shape perceptions or leverage within South Asia’s already tense geopolitical framework where trust deficits persist between neighbors like India-Pakistan while maintaining awareness over global ramifications linked heavily nuanced parallel-case legacies!