Donald Trump asks senior advisers about starting a war with Iran during a meeting in the Oval Office. The day before, independent inspectors identified an increase in Iran’s stockpile of material for nuclear weapons.
A range of senior advisers dissuaded the president from moving ahead with a military strike. The advisers — including Vice President Mike Pence; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Christopher C. Miller, the acting defense secretary; and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — warned that a strike against Iran’s facilities could easily escalate into a broader conflict in the last weeks of Mr. Trump’s presidency.
The New York Times
Iran is believed to have 12 times the amount of uranium allowed by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (a.k.a. the Iran Nuclear Deal). However, Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018 and has made numerous efforts to pressure Iran into war since then. (Those files will be available at this link once they’ve been added to the website).
In Iran, the administration is continuing its “maximum pressure” campaign, seeking to collapse the nation’s economy before the end of Trump’s term. Unable to force Tehran to make a new nuclear deal, Trump appears set on making the regime pay as steep a price as possible before he leaves the White House.
Newsweek (MSN link)
Over the next week, Iranian officials warn allies to prepare for a possible attack from the United States and to avoid doing anything that might provoke Donald Trump.
Under his presidency, tensions with Iran escalated, reaching fever pitch at the beginning of the year with the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran’s top general, Qassim Soleimani, at the Baghdad airport. Iran launched a ballistic missile attack in response to the fatal drone strike, targeting U.S. soldiers in Iraq and wounding dozens.
Trump also unilaterally withdrew America in 2018 from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, meant to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, and re-imposed punishing sanctions on Iran, crippling its economy.
SFGATE
Sources
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/us/politics/trump-iran-nuclear.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/17/president-donald-trump-explored-military-strike-iran-reports-say/6322218002/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-says-trump-is-risking-full-fledged-war-with-end-of-term-escalation/ar-BB1bcKwE
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Iran-s-allies-on-high-alert-in-Trump-s-final-15742664.php
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/smart-facts/what-iran-nuclear-deal-n868346
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