Biden administration mulled strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities: report

President Joe Biden was presented with a plan to strike Iranian nuclear facilities if Iran moves to develop a nuclear weapon before he leaves office on Jan. 20, reported Axios on Thursday.

The plan, presented by national security adviser Jake Sullivan, "would be an enormous gamble from a president who promised he would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, but who would also risk handing a fresh conflict over to his successor. Biden did not green light a strike during the meeting and has not done so since, the sources said," according to Barak Ravid.

The report further noted that this proposal "was not prompted by new intelligence or intended to end in a yes or no decision from Biden. Instead, it was part of a discussion on 'prudent scenario planning' of how the U.S. should respond if Iran were to take steps like enriching Uranium to 90% purity before Jan. 20," according to a White House source privy to the discussions.

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Nonetheless, such a move would be a massive turnabout from just a decade ago, when Biden was part of a presidential administration that brokered a multilateral monitoring program on Iran's nuclear capabilities in return for easement of sanctions. This program was dismantled by Donald Trump in his previous administration.

In his final year, Trump also ordered the assassination of one of Iran's most important generals.

Iran reportedly sought to intervene in the U.S. election against Trump this year. After his victory, they outwardly projected confidence that it wouldn't significantly affect their relations with the U.S., but continue to watch warily for policy changes.