Report claims Donald Trump had sought options for attacking Iran's nuclear site

Washington, Nov 17: A US official on Monday said that President Donald Trump had allegedly asked for options on attacking Iran's main nuclear site last week but ultimately decided against taking the dramatic step.

According to the official, Trump made the request during a meeting on Thursday 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.

The official confirmed the account of the meeting in The New York Times, which reported that the advisers persuaded Trump not to go ahead with a strike because of the risk of a broader conflict.

"He asked for options. They gave him the scenarios and he ultimately decided not to go forward," the official said. However, the White House declined the comment.

It can be seen that Trump had spent all four years of his presidency engaging in an aggressive policy against Iran, withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, and imposing economic sanctions against a wide variety of Iranian targets.

Trump, who is challenging the results of the November 3 presidential election, is to hand over power to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.

His request for options came a day after a U.N. atomic watchdog report showed that Iran had finished moving a first cascade of advanced centrifuges from an above-ground plant at its main uranium enrichment site to an underground one, in a fresh breach of its nuclear deal with big powers.