Pakistan Develops Missile Capable of Hitting the U.S.

WASHINGTON-Weeks before it leaves office, the Biden administration said Pakistan is developing a long-range ballistic missile that eventually could provide nuclear-armed Islamabad with a weapon capable of striking the U.S.

The administration disclosed the intelligence about Pakistan's secret missile activities and imposed sanctions against a state-owned entity involved in the work after repeated efforts to press its concerns in confidential channels fell short, U.S. officials said.

"The list of countries that possess both nuclear weapons and the missile capability to directly reach the U.S. homeland is very small, and they tend to be adversarial," deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said Thursday. "So candidly, it is hard for us to see Pakistan's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States." The White House warning underscores a growing rift between Washington and Islamabad, which was once considered such a vital U.S. partner in South Asia that it was designated as a "major non-NATO ally" by the George W. Bush administration two decades ago.

The newly disclosed intelligence points to efforts by Pakistan to expand the reach of its missile force, including development of equipment to test large rocket motors, officials said.