Axios: Biden and His Security Team Reviewed 'Potential Attack Options Against Iran'

The Axios news site reported, citing three informed sources, that the President of the United States reviewed options for attacking Iran's nuclear facilities during a meeting with his national security team a few weeks ago, should Tehran take steps toward nuclear weapons. Axios wrote on Thursday, January 3, that this meeting took place about a month ago, and Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, detailed the options. U.S. officials have not yet reacted to this report, but Jake Sullivan stated last month that there are concerns that the Islamic Republic, which has recently weakened due to developments in the Middle East, may move toward producing a nuclear bomb. According to an informed source, the meeting last month with Joe Biden and members of his national security team was held without any new security information being presented, and it was not intended to reach a yes or no decision. The report states that this meeting was planned for 'contingency scenarios' regarding how the U.S. should respond if Iran takes actions such as enriching uranium to 90% before January 20, the last day of Joe Biden's presidency. Another informed source told Axios that the issue of a potential military attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is currently not being discussed in the White House. The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a reprimand resolution against Iran for the second time in six months on December 1. Following this, Iran announced in a retaliatory response that it would install new and advanced centrifuges at its nuclear facilities. Prior to that, Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the Agency, warned that Iran's capacity for 60% uranium enrichment is increasing 'significantly.' According to safeguard regulations, this Iranian action led to increased oversight by the Agency, and Tehran confirmed that it accepted the Agency's oversight at the Fordow facilities. Axios further reported that some senior aides to Biden believe that the acceleration of Iran's nuclear program, while Iran and its proxy groups are weakened, presents a necessity and opportunity for a U.S. attack on Iran. The website reported that Jake Sullivan and some of Biden's aides also referred to the weakening of Iran's air defense systems and missile capacity, stating that the chances of a successful attack without Tehran retaliating and escalating tensions have increased. Axios quoted an American official stating that Jake Sullivan did not make any recommendations to Joe Biden on this matter and only discussed and planned for various scenarios. In the second retaliatory attack by Israel on Iran, which took place on the evening of October 27, some military centers in Iran were targeted, and some Israeli officials spoke of extensive damage to Iran's air defense systems in these attacks. Axios continued its report by stating that Joe Biden addressed the urgency of the matter in last month's meeting and asked whether Iran had taken actions that would justify a U.S. military attack. Iran has consistently denied accusations of seeking nuclear weapons and emphasized that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. However, in recent months, several former and current Iranian officials have publicly discussed the possibility of a change in Iran's nuclear doctrine.