Washington, November 17: US President Donald Trump sought to know his options for attacking Iran's main nuclear site last week, according to at least two reports. After discussing with his advisers, Donald Trump later decided against the idea of attacking Iran's nuclear site, news agency Reuters reported quoting a US official. A similar report was carried by The New York Times with quotes from "current and former US officials". Donald Trump Could Announce His Candidacy For 2024 Presidential Election Shortly After Joe Biden is Officially Declared as Winner: Report.

"He (Trump) asked for options. They gave him the scenarios and he ultimately decided not to go forward," a US official told Reuters. Trump asked for options for targeting Iran's main nuclear site during a meeting on November 12 with his top national security aides, including Vice President Mike Pence, his new Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Donald Trump Tweets 'Won This Election by a Lot' Just Before Joe Biden's Victory; Twitter Flags His Post.

The report by The New York Times said that the advisers persuaded Trump not to go ahead with a military strike against Iran because it would escalate the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran "in the last weeks of Trump's presidency". "After Mr Pompeo and General Milley described the potential risks of military escalation, officials left the meeting believing a missile attack inside Iran was off the table," the report said.

According to The NYT, a strike against Iran, if conducted, would "almost certainly" target Natanz, an Iranian nuclear plant considered to be a central facility for uranium enrichment. In June last year, Trump had abruptly reversed an airstrike against Iran that was planned as a retaliatory move for shooting down a US surveillance drone.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 17, 2020 01:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).