Trump considering direct attack on Iran – WSJ

The US could join Israel to strike Iranian nuclear sites, sources have told the newspaper

The transition team of US President-elect Donald Trump is considering options for targeting Iran, including a direct attack on its nuclear facilities, sources have told the Wall Street Journal on condition of anonymity.

During his first presidential term from 2017 to 2021, Trump pulled out of the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal, which was intended to make it harder for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and waged what he called a “maximum pressure campaign.” 

Trump’s aides are now discussing a “maximum pressure 2.0” strategy, which could include direct military action, the newspaper reported on Friday.

Trump is understood to have told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent phone call that he does not want Iran to go nuclear on his watch. Tehran denies that it wants to achieve nuclear capability, but has stockpiled a significant amount of highly enriched uranium in retaliation for Trump’s sabotage of the nuclear deal.

According to the WSJ, the incoming administration is seeking an option, which would not draw the US into a major war in the Middle East. Iran hawks believe that Trump will have a short window of opportunity to act after coming into office in January.

Since last year, Israel has waged major military campaigns against Hamas and Hezbollah, the militant movements considered to be parts of the Iran-led anti-Israeli regional “axis of resistance.” Syria is now in disarray, after armed groups toppled the government of Barash Assad, a long-time ally of Tehran, last week.

”Trump aides and confidants supporting military options for his second term said the main idea would be to support Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities like Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan, and even potentially have the US participate in a joint operation,” the newspaper reported.

The Times of Israel reported this week that the Netanyahu government is preparing strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. The sites are highly fortified, so it’s not clear whether the Israeli military could inflict sufficient damage with the conventional weapons in its arsenal. The US could provide heavy bombers and bunker-buster bombs for such an operation.

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This year, Iran and Israel executed direct attacks against each other on two occasions. Tehran was retaliating for what it considered to be acts of Israeli aggression, including the April airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus and the July assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh during his visit to Tehran.