Donald Trump was talked out of launching a missile strike on Iran’s main nuclear site by his top advisers last week who warned it could trigger a war
- President Trump asked senior advisers about taking action against Iran’s main nuclear site at a meeting last Thursday, the New York Times reported Monday
- Four current and former US officials said Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were among those present at the meeting
- The meeting took place a day after international inspectors informed UN members that Iran had significantly increased its stockpile of nuclear material
- Trump’s advisers talked him out of launching a strike by warning that such action could trigger a wider conflict with Iran
President Donald Trump asked senior advisers last week about launching a strike against Iran in response to its growing nuclear program, an alarming new report claims.
Trump brought his idea to top national security aides including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C Miller and Chairman of Joint Chiefs Mark Milley at a meeting in the Oval Office last Thursday, the New York Times reported Monday, citing four current and former US officials.
The meeting took place a day after international inspectors informed United Nations members that Iran had significantly increased its stockpile of nuclear material.
Trump’s advisers ultimately talked him out of launching a strike by warning that such action could trigger a wider conflict with Iran, the Times sources said.
They said any strike, either by missile or cyber, would likely have targeted Iran’s main nuclear site, Natanz.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, a watchdog for the UN, reported in a confidential document last Wednesday that Iran’s uranium stockpile is now 12 times larger than the limit set under the nuclear accord Trump pulled out of in 2018.
The agency also said that Iran had barred its inspectors from accessing another site where there was evidence of past nuclear activity.
The Times sources said Trump reacted to the IAEA report by asking his aides about what options he had to respond to Iran’s nuclear expansion.
They said Pompeo and Milley outlined the risks of military escalation, and that officials left the meeting with the impression that Trump had been dissuaded from launching a missile attack.
This is a developing story.
President Donald Trump asked senior advisers last week about launching a strike against Iran in response to its growing nuclear program, an alarming new report claims