United States President Joe Biden was presented with potential options for a US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, according to an exclusive Axios report, citing three sources with knowledge on the issue.
The US attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities would occur in the case that Iranians were to move forward with their nuclear weapons before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, the report added.
The sources added that some of Biden's aides, including Sullivan, believe that the current situation in the Middle East, with Iran’s nuclear program and the weakening of Iran’s allies in the war against Israel, gives the US a compelling reason to strike now while they’d have an advantage, Axios reported.
However, US officials told Axios that Sullivan was just giving out ideas and not an actual strategic plan.
According to the report, the meeting took place one month ago, but while Biden and his team discussed multiple options and scenarios, no decision was made, the sources said.
Since the meeting, there have been no further discussions about the US’s potential military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Axios reported.
Biden's previous response on Iran's nuclear facilities
In October, Biden said he doesn’t back an Israeli retaliatory strike on Iran’s nuclear sites but has striven to build a broad international consensus for a response to Iran sending over a hundred ballistic missiles into Israel a day prior.
“Iran is way off board,” he admitted. “There is going to be some sanctions imposed on Iran,” he stressed.
But when asked if he would support an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Biden said, “No.”