The White House has declined to rule out US strikes on Iran after midterms next Tuesday. An official told Voice of America that President Donald Trump keeps "all options on the table" to stop Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The official was responding to a VOA inquiry about reports in The Wall Street Journal that the US military has drawn up options for potential new strikes on Iran after the election. According to the Journal's reporting, as cited by VOA, a new wave of strikes would target Iran's missile and drone infrastructure as well as its nuclear facilities.
The remarks come days before the vote that Trump had set as a line. According to VOA, he previously ruled out military action before the midterms. This week, Trump also said Washington is weighing whether to "finish it off" or reach a deal with Iran.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog told the Security Council this week that his agency still cannot verify Iran's declared nuclear material, VOA reported. Iran has warned against escalation and said it is open to a diplomatic resolution.
What the White House said about striking Iran
VOA asked whether military options remained on the table after the midterm elections. "President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon," the official said.
VOA also asked whether the administration had reached out to US allies in the Gulf about a possible military campaign. The official declined to confirm either the plans or any consultations.
"We do not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist," the White House official said.
The administration has not confirmed the existence of the plans The Wall Street Journal described. Their scope and timing rest on the newspaper's reporting as relayed by VOA. The official's comments confirm only that the administration is not excluding military action.
VOA's English-language story was translated from an original VOA Persian article.
Trump weighs whether to 'finish it off' or make a deal
Trump said this week that the United States is weighing whether to "finish it off" or reach a deal with Iran, according to VOA. He has not said publicly which course he favors.
The president has repeatedly said Iran would have used a nuclear weapon if it had one, VOA reported. That claim has been central to his case for keeping military pressure on Tehran.
The United States has already struck Iranian nuclear sites. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Trump said three of those sites had been "obliterated" and that Washington was watching them, according to VOA.
What is Pickaxe Mountain in Iran?
Pickaxe Mountain is an underground Iranian nuclear facility, according to VOA. Trump said this week that the United States is monitoring it.
"We know exactly what is going on at Pickaxe Mountain, we know the other three are obliterated ... we watch, we have entrances on every one of those that we blew up," Trump told Fox News.
Trump did not describe what activity, if any, is taking place at the site. VOA's report does not establish what is happening there, or whether the facility would be among the targets of any new campaign.
Grossi tells Security Council the IAEA cannot verify Iran's nuclear material
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the UN Security Council this week that Iran has not provided the information and access the agency has requested, VOA reported. Without them, the IAEA cannot verify previously declared nuclear material at Iranian facilities under safeguards, he said.
Iran rejects the view that its program is a danger. Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, told the council that his country's nuclear program has not posed a threat to international peace and security, according to VOA. Tehran describes the program as "peaceful," VOA reported.
The two positions are in direct conflict. Iran says its program is peaceful and poses no threat. The IAEA says it cannot confirm the status of material Iran itself declared.
Responding to the prospect of new strikes, Iran warned against escalation in the region and said it was open to a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, according to VOA. The report did not say whether any talks with Washington are under way or what terms Tehran might accept.
Several questions remain unanswered as the vote approaches:
- Whether Washington will launch new strikes after the midterms or pursue a deal. Trump says both are under consideration.
- Whether the military plans reported by The Wall Street Journal exist, and whether Gulf allies have been consulted. The White House declined to say.
- Whether Iran will give the IAEA the information and access it has requested.
- What is happening at Pickaxe Mountain, and whether it would be a target.
The midterm elections, before which Trump had ruled out military action, take place next Tuesday, according to VOA.