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Trump Team Weighs Options, including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran's Nuclear Program

(Wall Street Journal) Alexander Ward - President-elect Donald Trump is weighing options for stopping Iran from being able to build a nuclear weapon, including the possibility of preventive airstrikes. The military-strike option against nuclear facilities is now under more serious review by some members of his transition team in light of Iran's weakened regional position and recent revelations of Tehran's burgeoning nuclear work. Trump has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent calls that he is concerned about an Iranian nuclear breakout on his watch, signaling that he is looking for proposals to prevent that outcome. The president-elect wants plans that stop short of igniting a new war. The president-elect's transition team is devising what it calls a "maximum pressure 2.0" strategy against the regime that would include military steps paired with tighter financial penalties. Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to build four nuclear bombs, making it the only nonnuclear-weapon country to be producing 60% near-weapons-grade material. It would take just a few days to convert it into weapons-grade nuclear fuel. U.S. officials have previously said it could take Iran several months to field a nuclear weapon. Trump aides and confidants supporting military options said the main idea would be to support Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities like Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan, and even potentially have the U.S. participate in a joint operation. More needs to be done than increased economic and financial pressure because Iran "is actively trying to kill President Trump," a person on the transition team said. "That certainly influences everybody's thinking."
2024-12-15 00:00:00
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