Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the United Kingdom an “Islamic republic” and reiterated his claim that it could become “the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons.” The British government called his statements “absolutely unacceptable” and said it had raised the issue with Israeli authorities.
This statement was made on an Israeli Army Radio podcast, an episode of which was published on August 13, 2026. Speaking about the shift in attitudes toward Israel in the United Kingdom, Netanyahu used the phrase “Islamic Republic of Britain.” The host then asked him whether something similar was happening throughout Europe. The prime minister answered in the affirmative and cited a phrase previously used by someone else describing Britain as the future “first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons.”
However, the widely held interpretation that Netanyahu himself predicted Britain’s transformation into an Islamic nuclear republic is not entirely accurate. He did not present this phrase as his own prediction but explicitly stated that “someone had said” it. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer later told the BBC that Netanyahu was referring to current U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who made a similar statement back in 2024.
Vance said at the time that the United Kingdom could become the first “truly Islamist country with nuclear weapons.” However, he himself made a caveat regarding Pakistan.
The very claim about the “first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons” is historically inaccurate. Pakistan is officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and has possessed nuclear weapons since the late 1990s.
London’s reaction was harsh. A British government spokesperson stated that Netanyahu’s comments were unacceptable and that this issue had already been raised during discussions with the Israeli side.
The remarks came amid deteriorating relations between Israel and a number of European countries. In the interview itself, the host broadened the question to include Europe as a whole, to which Netanyahu responded in the affirmative.
According to the latest assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2026, as of January 2026, nine states possessed or, as in the case of Israel, were considered to possess a total of approximately 12,187 nuclear warheads. About 9,745 of these were in military stockpiles and could potentially be used.
In order from the largest arsenal to the smallest:
Russia — about 5,459 warheads
United States — about 5,083
China—about 620
France—about 290
United Kingdom—about 225
India—about 190
Pakistan—about 170
Israel—about 90
North Korea—about 60
These are estimates of the total number of nuclear warheads, not just those deployed. The exact sizes of the arsenals are state secrets, so SIPRI emphasizes that the figures are approximate. Russia and the U.S. together continue to control about 86% of all nuclear warheads in the world.
China’s arsenal is growing particularly rapidly at the moment: SIPRI estimates it at approximately 620 warheads, up from 600 a year earlier. India has increased its estimated stockpile to 190, and North Korea, according to the institute’s assessment, may have assembled about 60 warheads and possesses fissile material for at least several dozen more.
The United Kingdom, at the center of the current diplomatic scandal, is estimated by SIPRI to have approximately 225 nuclear warheads. London has stopped publishing detailed data on the size of its operational nuclear stockpile, and British strategy provides for the possibility of increasing it.
ISRAEL, Netanyahu, nuclear weapons, PAKISTAN, UNITED KINGDOM
