Trump asked advisers about options to strike Iran nuclear site
The outgoing president's inquiry has raised concerns of a last-minute strike that could ignite a messy conflict.
President Donald Trump asked top advisers last week about options to strike Iran’s primary nuclear facility at Natanz, sparking concern that the outgoing president could blunder into a military conflict before leaving the White House.
During an Oval Office meeting on Thursday, senior advisers, including newly appointed acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, reportedly talked the president out of the idea by warning of the risk of sparking a wider conflict with Iran. The discussion was reported by the New York Times.
The president has long vowed to disentangle the United States from military conflicts abroad and appears eager to cement that legacy before leaving office in January. At the same time, his administration maintained a firm stance against Iran, which has been accused by the United States of exporting weapons technology and by European Union states of hiding suspected nuclear activity.
The news comes just over a week after the White House purged much of the Pentagon’s top civilian leadership and installed figures seen as Trump loyalists, leading to concerns that a bulwark in the chain of command against the president’s impulsive foreign policy orders had been removed.
