It would be an extraordinary move by a lame-duck president who has only a few weeks left to serve, but apparently no action was decided upon:
The White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, recently presented President Biden with options for a possible U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in a meeting that was kept confidential until now. Three sources familiar with the matter informed Axios about this development.
Significance: A potential U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear program before Biden’s inauguration would be a high-risk move by a president who vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. However, such a decision could also result in passing on a new conflict to his successor. Sources mentioned that Biden did not authorize a strike during the meeting and has not approved one since then.
- Biden and his national security team discussed various options and scenarios during the meeting, which took place roughly one month ago, but the president did not make any final decision, according to the sources.
Reportedly, several weeks ago, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed potential actions with President Biden in case Iran makes advancements towards acquiring a nuclear weapon before January 20th. Information on this meeting was initially undisclosed but has now come to light, according to Axios.
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 2, 2025
The tweet continues:
According to unnamed officials, the meeting was not the result of newly found intelligence or a change in dynamic, but was held in order to talk “Prudent Scenario Planning.” While Concepts of Operations (CONOP) could have been discussed, sources told Axios that no ‘active’ plans were in motion to conduct military operations against Iran at the time.
