Report: US President Biden Presented with Attack Plan on Iranian Nuclear Facilities
According to Axios, US President Joe Biden was briefed by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on a plan to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities before President-elect Donald Trump takes office at the end of the month. The plan reportedly includes alternative options and was presented to Biden in a confidential briefing a few weeks ago.
While one official stated that the meeting was not based on new intelligence and that Biden had not made a final decision, another source mentioned that Biden is questioning whether he can justify such a dramatic military attack just before a new president assumes office. Some of Biden’s advisors believe that weakening Iran’s air defense and missile capabilities, as well as reducing Iran’s regional proxies, could increase the chances of a successful strike and lower the risk of retaliation and regional tensions.
Sullivan did not give Biden any specific advice on the issue, but was engaged in scenario planning. The White House declined to comment, but sources noted that Biden is focused on the urgency of the situation and whether Iran’s actions warrant a military attack in the coming weeks.
Interestingly, the plan comes just before scheduled talks on Iran’s nuclear program among European countries in January. The next round of discussions between Iran and three European countries is set to take place in Geneva on January 13. These talks follow previous discussions in November 2024 and Tehran’s reaction to a European-backed resolution accusing Iran of poor cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
In response to the resolution, Iran announced its intention to install more uranium enrichment centrifuges at its facilities. The situation remains tense as the international community closely monitors developments regarding Iran’s nuclear program and potential military actions.
