US “barbarism” is undermining trust in international institutions and contributing to a growing reliance on nuclear deterrence around the world, a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei has warned.

“America’s barbarism, by eroding trust in international institutions, is driving the world toward nuclear deterrence,” Mohammad Mokhber wrote in a Tuesday post on X.

Mokhber said recent reports showed military nuclear stockpiles had increased by approximately 130 warheads, while all nine countries possessing nuclear weapons were pursuing programs to modernize their arsenals.

He also pointed to growing interest among countries without their own nuclear weapons in arrangements that would allow them to host nuclear arms or participate in nuclear-sharing agreements.

Mokhber specifically named Poland, Finland, Sweden and Germany, saying such developments reflected a wider shift toward nuclear deterrence amid declining confidence in international institutions.

His remarks come amid growing international debate over nuclear weapons, arms-control agreements and the future of non-proliferation efforts.

Back in June, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) 2026 Yearbook estimated that the number of nuclear warheads held in military stockpiles worldwide had risen by about 130 to 9,745 in January 2026, compared with January 2025.

The institute also said the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel continued to modernize their nuclear arsenals during 2025.