BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for new international negotiations on nuclear disarmament on Tuesday, saying that not only Russia and the United States but also China should be involved.

"Getting a fresh start on arms control would be very important," he said at a religious event in Berlin, adding that several other countries had also built up a nuclear arsenal.

Preventing Iran from producing uranium that could contribute to nuclear weapon production "remains an important task," he said.

Scholz said nuclear weapons posed an existential threat to humanity, which is why there is an "immediate obligation" to do everything possible to ensure they are never used.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the number of operational nuclear weapons rose slightly in 2022 as countries implemented long-term force modernisation and expansion plans.