Rep. Joaquin Castro’s recent letter calling on the Trump administration to acknowledge Israel’s nuclear arsenal joins a long history of members of Congress addressing the taboo topic. It is now time to take action and end the official silence.

Over two dozen House Democrats have sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on the Trump administration to break its silence on Israel’s unclear weapons.

Israel’s nuclear weapons program was secretly developed with financial and diplomatic support from the West. Its nuclear arsenal, estimated at over 90 warheads, remains a leading driver of conflict across the region.

Since the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, US imperialism has driven nuclear proliferation worldwide. Current nuclear flashpoints, such as Iran, show how the US continues to use nuclear blackmail to reinforce its dominance.

Last week the State Department refused to admit that Israel is occupying the West Bank or that the country has nuclear weapons.

Palestinians suffer from the effects of Israel’s nuclear-weapons blackmail every day of their lives. In today’s world, nuclear weapons are an essential pillar of imperial control. If imperial control is to be dismantled, then so too must the nuclear arsenals that protect it.

A senior Israeli official told Axios that Joe Biden assured Naftali Bennett that the U.S. will continue providing cover for Israel’s not-so-secret nuclear arsenal.

Why is the “open secret” of Israel’s nuclear weapons kept secret? Because if the US government revealed what it knows it would immediately raise uncomfortable questions about the legality of foreign aid to Israel.

Israel has accused Iran of doing many nefarious things. But the historical record shows that whatever Israel accuses Iran of, it is likely that Israel is already doing it.

Forty years ago, Israel used assassinations, sabotage, and targeted strikes to set back Iraq’s nuclear program. Today it is following a similar playbook in Iran.