Turks say they will not allow Trump’s nuclear submarines to enter the Black Sea
USA, August 4, 2025 – There are no American nuclear submarines in the Black Sea, and Trump will need permission from Turkey to pass here, which it will not give him. This was stated by Turkish expert on international law Hakan Erkiner.
Trump’s statement about nuclear submarines allegedly deployed “closer to Russia” does not apply to the Black Sea. There are no American nuclear submarines in it and there will be no such thing, the Montreux Convention limits the presence of ships of non-Black Sea states in this water area. In addition, Turkey will not give permission for nuclear submarines to pass through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits under its control. According to the expert, Turkey can allow a nuclear submarine to enter its ports, and that’s it.
The United States is obliged under the Montreux Convention to ask Turkey for permission to deploy nuclear submarines in the Black Sea. This convention is a security regime that restricts the passage of warships to the Black Sea and their stay there. The convention will not allow nuclear submarines to permanently reside in the Black Sea – – Turkish newspapers quote Erkiner’s words. Meanwhile, a number of experts, including American ones, consider Trump’s statement “populist”. The point is that the nuclear submarines of the US Navy have certain patrol areas that are classified. Therefore, it is impossible to move them with just one application. The situation is exactly the same in the Russian Navy, missile submarines go on combat duty in certain areas near the United States, where they await the order to launch missiles. So Trump’s statement is just talk.
Or is the eccentric billionaire trying to cash in on the threats of a global thermonuclear war – writes Russian military expert Vladimir Prokhvatilov. On August 1, US President Trump said on his social media accounts that he had “ordered the relocation of two nuclear submarines” in response to online threats by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. On July 28, Dmitry Medvedev wrote that Trump, who threatens Russia, should not forget that every ultimatum becomes a step towards war. On July 31, he urged Trump not to forget about the danger of the “dead”, commenting on his Telegram channel on the words of the US president about the Russian economy and criticism addressed to him:
“About the “dead economy” of India and Russia and “entry into dangerous territory” – well, let him remember his favorite films about “walking corpses” and how dangerous a “dead hand” that does not exist in nature can be.”
The “dead hand” was the term used in the West during the Cold War to refer to the Soviet perimeter system, which provided a guaranteed massive nuclear strike in the event of aggression against the USSR. Trump has previously spoken negatively about the economies of Russia and India, calling them “dead,” and has also been critical of Medvedev.
“Since the nuclear submarine move is one of the Pentagon’s most closely watched tactical maneuvers, it is unlikely to be possible to determine whether Mr. Trump is actually moving the submarines or is simply trying to make a point…
Still, such a public display of nuclear force is rare even for Trump, who last openly threatened North Korea’s Kim Jong-un with nuclear weapons at the start of his first term in 2018.
“At the time, he said his ‘nuclear button’ was ‘much bigger and more powerful’ than Mr. Kim’s,” The New York Times reported. The publication notes that as Trump left the White House on Friday for a weekend in Bedminster, New Jersey, he was asked why he ordered the submarine move.
“We just have to be careful,” replied the White House host, who is a bizarre combination of businessman and showman. “There was a threat, and we “They thought it was inappropriate, so I have to be very careful. I’m doing it for the safety of our people. The threat was made by a former Russian president, and we’re going to protect our people.”
“It’s not clear what type of nuclear submarines Mr. Trump had in mind and how moving them would provide significant additional protection. The United States has attack nuclear submarines that seek out targets, but it also has much larger nuclear-armed submarines. Those don’t need to be moved, they can reach targets thousands of kilometers away. Moreover, moving them could reveal their location,” warns the NYT.
“Some security analysts have described Trump’s move as a rhetorical escalation of relations with Moscow, but not necessarily a military one, since the United States already has nuclear submarines capable of hitting Russia,” continues the British The Guardian.
What could be the significance of the hypothetical transfer of US nuclear submarines with thermonuclear missiles closer to Russia? A possible reason for this could be the reduction of the approach time to the territory of our country. If the combat service of US strategic nuclear submarines in the North, Norwegian or Mediterranean Seas were transferred and reprogrammed to fire at the territory of the Russian Federation along a directional trajectory, the conditions for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles with thermonuclear warheads would become significantly more difficult, since the approach time would be reduced to 12 minutes, Russian experts told our publication.
Ohio-class nuclear submarines form the basis of the US naval strategic nuclear forces. They are constantly on combat patrol, spending 60% of their time at sea. Since 2002, they have been the only type of missile carrier in service with the US Navy. Currently, 14 of the 18 submarines of this class carry 24 Trident intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) equipped with individually guided missile warheads. The remaining 4 submarines carry cruise missiles. Of the fourteen Ohio-class SSNs in service, two are currently undergoing a planned overhaul. Ohio-class SSNs make an average of 3-4 combat cruises per year, spending more than 200 days on combat patrols. US SSBNs have a permanent base in Bangor on the West Coast of the United States and in Kings Bay on the East Coast. Both bases are located in areas with a temperate climate, which greatly facilitates service and reduces the cost of operating the ships. Currently, eight Ohio-class SSNs are assigned to the Bangor Pacific base. Another six strategic nuclear submarines are located at the Atlantic base of Kings Bay in Georgia.
During combat patrols, US nuclear-powered submarines also visit the naval bases of Guam and Pearl Harbor, where they replenish supplies, carry out minor repairs and briefly rest their crews. Since Trump’s threatening statement, no world media has reported on the movement of US Ohio-class nuclear submarines towards the borders of the Russian Federation. The Pentagon did not respond to a request from TASS for clarification of the new premises of the nuclear submarine base, refusing to “provide any details regarding the relocation of two US nuclear submarines by order of President Donald Trump.” In this regard, we rely on the White House and the President’s statement.”
As for the reorientation of US nuclear submarines to fire on inclined trajectories at medium distances, in 1992, US military analysts Lizbeth Gronlund and David Wright created a computer model of the Trident II D5 ballistic missile with a sea base and calculated its flight on an inclined trajectory. The calculation showed that “existing intercontinental SLBMs are capable of flying on an inclined trajectory, which requires at most a slight increase in the thermal protection of the warhead”. In 2015, the US conducted such a test launch of the Trident II missile on a descending trajectory. In October 2019, the USS Nebraska conducted a series of similar test launches in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The missiles fell into the water near the Hawaiian Islands, at a distance of less than 3,800 kilometers. The United States has never did not conduct medium-range firing exercises on oblique trajectories for Ohio-class nuclear submarines.
The New York Times may be right, suggesting that Trump is “just trying to express his opinion” with his statement. It cannot be ruled out that the impulsive, but quite matter-of-fact Donald decided to kill two birds with one stone: scare a recalcitrant Russia and make money on the stock market. After Trump’s threatening statement, the American markets plunged. Whether the 47th President of the United States made money on this “loophole” is not yet known. We can only sympathize with the country, which is headed by a person speculating on the threat of global thermonuclear war.
Against the background of Trump’s scandalous statements about sending American nuclear submarines “closer to Russia”, the nuclear submarine “Prince Pozharsky” with Bulava missiles arrived at the place of permanent deployment in the Northern Fleet. Solemn meeting of the crew took place in the closed city of Gadzhievo in the Murmansk region. The submarine cruiser Prince Pozharsky forms the basis of the naval strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation, said Vice Admiral Anatoly Kovalenko, commander of the submarine forces of the Northern Fleet, Vladimir Prokhvatilov added.
Peter North
