The US President-elect Donald Trumpʼs team is weighing options to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including the possibility of preemptive air strikes.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources.
The option of a military strike on nuclear facilities is now being considered more seriously by some members of Trumpʼs transition team, weighing factors such as the fall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, Tehranʼs ally in Syria, the future of American troops in the region, and Israelʼs destruction of the Hezbollah and Hamas puppet militants.
Iranʼs weakening regional position and the recent revelations of Tehranʼs rampant nuclear activities have accelerated sensitive internal discussions, sources say. However, any discussions on the issue are still in the early stages.
Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was concerned about an Iranian nuclear breakthrough, two people familiar with the matter said. The president-elect wants plans that donʼt lead to another war, especially one that could involve the U.S. military, since strikes on Tehranʼs nuclear facilities could put the United States and Iran on a collision course.
According to WSJ sources, Trumpʼs team is considering two paths.
The first is to increase military pressure by sending more American troops, warplanes, and ships to the Middle East. The US could also sell Israel advanced weapons, such as bunker-busting bombs, to disable Iranian nuclear facilities.
An alternative path is to try to use the threat of military force, especially in combination with US sanctions, to force Tehran to agree to a diplomatic settlement.
- In July, the US said that Iran could produce enough material to create a nuclear weapon in just a few weeks.
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