Obama calls to limit role of nuclear weapons

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama unveiled a more cautious policy for the US nuclear arsenal, declaring the United States would resort to atomic weapons only “in extreme circumstances”.

Under the new guidelines, the United States for the first time states it would not launch a nuclear attack on a state without atomic weapons that complied with non-proliferation treaty obligations, though Obama said exceptions could be made for “outliers” Iran and North Korea.

“Indeed, the United States wishes to stress that it would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances to defend the vital interests of the United States or its allies and partners,” the administration said.