US President-elect Donald Trump could authorize preventative airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in a bid to prevent it from building a nuclear weapon, Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the report, Trump’s transition team is mapping out a “maximum pressure 2.0” strategy to deter Iran and cripple its nuclear program by employing military force, or the threat of it, alongside powerful economic sanctions.

While Trump chose to avoid military force against Iran during his first term, the report states that he is reconsidering this stance in light of dramatic changes in the Middle East, including the significant damage dealt to Iranian proxy Hezbollah by Israel in recent months and the toppling of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad earlier this week.

Sources familiar with the plan tell the Journal that there are a number of different ways that military pressure could be used to deter Tehran.

Firstly, they say, the US could send more forces, ships and warplanes to the region while also bolstering Israel’s offensive capabilities through the sale of bunker-busting bombs. These steps, combined with economic sanctions, could lead Iran to stand down, the sources are said to suggest.

If this fails, however, the US could take a more combative stance and threaten to use direct military force, the Journal states.

It adds that the strategy is not yet finalized, and could still shift as Trump prepares to enter the White House in January for the second time.

The report comes after the Israeli Air Force said on Thursday that it was preparing for possible strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, as it believes that an isolated Iran may push further with its nuclear program.

Source » timesofisrael