US President-elect Donald Trump could ditch Joe Biden’s diplomatic policy as he considers a pre-emptive air-strike on Iran in order to halt its nuclear development
According to the Wall Street Journal, the option of striking Iran’s nuclear facilities is being strongly considered by Trump’s team as it examines the US’ position in the Middle East following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran’s weakened position and recently revealed information about its nuclear developments have sparked internal discussions among the incoming president’s team, but the talks are still in early stages.
Sources familiar with the plan told WSJ that Trump’s team were looking into different ways of deterring Iran.
This includes having Washington send more forces, ships and warplanes to the region while also boosting Israel’s offensive .
In 2015, Iran agreed a deal on its nuclear programme with a group of world powers including the US, which was under the leadership of President Barack Obama at the time.
However, in May 2018, then-president Trump abandoned the pact calling it ‘defective at its core’.
Biden sought to revive the pact during his presidency but Iran ended up walking away, yet he has continued to seek a diplomatic solution to nuclear advances in the region.
US President-elect Donald Trump is considering a pre-emptive air-strike on Iran in order to halt its nuclear development
A Khorramshahr-4 missile is launched at an undisclosed location on May 25, 2023 in Iran
Iranian leader Ali Khamenei pictured in Tehran on November 7
Trump recently told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is worried about a nuclear catastrophe on his watch and wants to prevent sparking a new war.
It comes after it emerged last month that Iran’s estimated stockpile of enriched uranium had reached more than 32 times the limit in a key nuclear deal, according to the UN watchdog.
The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that as of October 26, Iran has 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) since the last report in August.
Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Iran had capped its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief and other key provisions as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but reportedly returned to the programme after the US backed out under Donald Trump in 2018.
By the IAEA’s theoretical definition, around 42 kg of uranium enriched to 60% is the amount at which making a nuclear bomb with it cannot be excluded.
It comes after Trump, who was this week named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, spoke to the publication of a potential war with Iran, saying that ‘anything can happen. It’s a very volatile situation’.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials this week said that they believe there is an opportunity to strike Iran’s nuclear sites and and are preparing for a potential attack following the coup in Syria, a close ally of Iran.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
