US President Donald Trump in the Pentagon (archive image)
Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP
A few weeks before the end of his term in office, US President Donald Trump is said to have discussed military action against Iran.
This was reported by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, citing several current and former government officials.
Accordingly, Trump asked about options for an attack on an Iranian nuclear facility at a meeting last Thursday in the Oval Office.
According to the New York Times, the blow would most likely have targeted the Natanz facility.
A number of senior advisors - including Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller and Chief of Staff Mark Milley - advised against it.
Trump had been warned that military action in the remaining weeks of his presidency could easily escalate into a wider conflict.
Iran is said to have enriched more uranium than allowed
The day before the reported meeting, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Iran had enriched uranium many times the amount allowed in the international nuclear agreement.
The United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, which is supposed to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb.
The US government also imposed harsh sanctions to force the country to negotiate a new deal with more stringent conditions.
The punitive measures exacerbated the economic and financial crisis in Iran.
In response, the leadership in Tehran declared that they no longer wanted to adhere to all the terms of the agreement.
According to the IAEA, Iran now has more than 2,400 kilograms of enriched uranium.
In the agreement, Tehran agreed to comply with an upper limit of around 200 kilograms.
Trump's term ends on January 20th.
In the presidential election on November 3, the Democrat Joe Biden emerged victorious.
Biden had promised to return to the agreement - provided Iran adheres to the agreed upper limits.
Icon: The mirror
mrc / dpa
