National Security

Trump Asked About Launching a Military Strike on Iranian Nuclear Site: Report

EXPLOSIVE

But advisers reportedly warned him against an attack that could “escalate into a broader conflict” just as he’s leaving the White House.

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty

President Trump reportedly asked advisers last week about the possibility of launching a strike against Iran as the Middle Eastern nation continues to stockpile enriched uranium. He asked for missile strike options during the Oval Office meeting on Thursday—but was ultimately convinced that an attack would be unwise since it could lead to an even greater conflict as he prepares to leave the White House in January, The New York Times reports. The advisers—which included Vice President Mike Pence; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller; and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley—reportedly left the meeting under the impression that Trump was no longer considering a missile attack. The news comes after a leaked U.N. document showed that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, a material that’s used in nuclear weapons, has increased tenfold in volume.

Read it at The New York Times