US President-elect Donald Trump is exploring options to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which may include potential preventive airstrikes, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Sources cited by the newspaper reveal that Trump’s transition team is crafting a new “maximum pressure” approach toward Tehran. This strategy would involve military actions alongside stricter financial sanctions.
The report highlights that Trump previously expressed his concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about “an Iranian nuclear breakout on his watch, <…> signaling he is looking for proposals to prevent that outcome.”
Trump’s team is reportedly debating two main strategies. The first option “involves augmenting military pressure by sending more US forces, warplanes, and ships to the Middle East.” Additionally, “the US could also sell advanced weapons to Israel, such as bunker-busting bombs,” the publication notes.
“The alternative path is to seek to use the threat of military force, especially if paired with US-imposed sanctions, to drive Tehran into accepting a diplomatic resolution,” The Wall Street Journal writes.
In a prior interview with Time magazine, Trump did not dismiss the possibility of a significant military confrontation between the US and Iran.
After winning the presidential election on November 5, Trump appears to be revisiting his first-term policies, which included imposing severe sanctions on Iran, withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, and increasing military and economic support for Israel. However, Iranian officials have warned against continued US pressure, with Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, cautioning that such actions would be met with “maximum resistance” from Tehran.
