On Thursday the president called a meeting to look at options to attack Iran’s main nuclear site, six days after the US election was called for his rival Joe Biden – a result the billionaire Republican still refuses to accept
Donald Trump has spent much of the last few days playing golf but last week he nearly took his country to war
Donald Trump had to be talked out of launching a missile strike at Iran days after he lost the US election due to fears it could start a war.
The President, with just two months left in office, asked for options on attacking Iran’s main nuclear site last week but ultimately decided against taking the dramatic step, a US official said.
Trump made the request during an Oval Office meeting on Thursday, four days after the election was called for Joe Biden and amid his increasingly desperate and unfounded claims of election fraud.
The unnamed official confirmed the account of the meeting in The New York Times, which reported advisers persuaded Trump not to go ahead with a strike because of the risk of a broader conflict.
The gathering was attended by his top national security aides, including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, new acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“He asked for options,” the source said. “They gave him the scenarios and he ultimately decided not to go forward.”
Trump has spent all four years of his presidency in an aggressive policy against Iran, withdrawing in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, and imposing economic sanctions against a wide variety of Iranian targets.
