In a top-level meeting with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan about a month ago, President Biden was presented with a range of strike options if Iran moved to develop nuclear weapons, Axios reported on Friday.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's questions about attack options, but reports say Biden has not signed on to any plan to attack Iran's nuclear program.
Mr. Biden has vowed not to let Iran develop nuclear weapons on his watch, but given that Iran is reportedly already stockpiling nuclear fuel, there is no way the Biden administration would allow Iran to respond with a direct strike. It remains unclear whether any action will have to be taken. It plans to develop weapons-grade uranium and strengthen its weaponization capabilities.
The president was reportedly presented with a series of scenarios and response options during the meeting, but Biden had not made a final decision on the information he was given, a source told the outlet.
Another source was quoted as saying that there are currently no active discussions about a military attack on Iran's military plans.
Last year, as tensions between the two countries reached a boiling point during the conflict between Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which were backed by Iran, Biden repeatedly warned Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear program. .
But some aides close to the president have said the United States has no interest in Iran, given its weakened position given its efforts to accelerate Iran's nuclear program and the significantly weakened position of Iranian proxies. He reportedly claimed that he had an “obligation” and “opportunity” to attack the US's nuclear ambitions.
Sources told Axios that Sullivan was not advising the president to take action either way, but merely presenting a scenario.
The report also notes that the president's aides and other presidential aides believe that Iran's degraded air defense and missile capabilities and weakened proxy forces could increase the likelihood of a successful attack and reduce the likelihood of Iranian retaliation. He pointed out that he thought it was possible.
Biden will reportedly focus on issues of urgency and whether Iran has taken any concrete steps to justify military strikes that could spark a conflict in the weeks before the new administration takes office. , but it remains unclear what those measures will include.
“If you look at the public statements from Iranian officials that have changed in recent months in the wake of these strategic blows, it begs the question: Do we need to change our doctrine at some point?” “The fact that this is the case has to be considered very carefully,” Professor Sullivan said in a lecture in New York a week before Christmas.
He also pointed to the damage Iran has suffered this year and argued that rather than deterring Iran, it could encourage it to develop nuclear weapons.
“That creates very dangerous options for our adversaries, and that's something we have to remain very vigilant about moving forward,” Sullivan said.
