[ad_1]
More than a week after the US presidential election, which gave Joe Biden victory, Donald Trump expressed his intention to attack Iran because of the uranium enrichment program, and his advisers convinced the outgoing president to back off, write the The New York Times, citing four sources anonymously.
According to the same American newspaper, Donald Trump met with several of his advisers last Thursday, a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed that the enriched uranium reserves in Iran were 12 times more than allowed in the nuclear deal that the United States abandoned in 2018. The meeting was attended by Vice President Mike Pence; the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo; Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller; and Inter-weapons Chief of Staff Mark A. Milley.
On the table, the outgoing president raised the possibility of a military or cyber attack against Iran, the main target of which would be the Natanz facilities, where there are 2,442.9 kilograms of enriched uranium. The IAEA also said that Tehran has not given access to other places where uranium is suspected.
During the meeting, Donald Trump’s advisers dissuaded the president from going ahead with an attack on Iran, as the consequences, in the final weeks of the presidential term, would be unpredictable and could lead to an escalation to a broader conflict in the region. .
However, according to The New York TimesTrump may be considering more offensives against Tehran at a time when he made several changes at the Pentagon, firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper, among other officials, replacing them with loyal figures.
These moves at the Pentagon increase speculation about Trump’s intentions for his final weeks in office, a sign that despite the presidential defeat, Trump could still wreak havoc in terms of national security, as the The Washington Post in editorial.
An attack against Iran would condition Joe Biden’s mandate, making it difficult for Washington to reach Tehran, one of the intentions of the president-elect, who has already shown willingness to resume negotiations with Iran on the nuclear agreement signed by the 5 + 1 group (States United Kingdom, France, China and Russia, plus Germany) in 2015 and unilaterally abandoned by the Trump Administration three years later.
Withdrawal of troops
In his final weeks in the White House, the outgoing president is also preparing to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, one of Donald Trump’s campaign promises.
According to a memorandum cited by the American press, the White House is preparing to announce that the contingent in Afghanistan will be reduced from 4,500 soldiers to 2,500, an intention that Trump had already demonstrated before the elections, when he promised that the troops from the North Americans would return home before Christmas.
However, his advisers warned of the risks of a hasty withdrawal from Kabul, at a time when peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are increasingly fragile: the two sides have started talks in Doha, Qatar. in September, however, the violence continues, fearing that a US withdrawal will allow the Islamists to return to power.
In Iraq, after withdrawing more than 2,000 soldiers at the end of September, the Pentagon expects another 500 soldiers to return to the United States, leaving a contingent of 2,500 soldiers on Iraqi soil.
Washington intends to maintain its presence in Baghdad, which continues to need US troops to prevent the resurgence of Daesh, fearing that a sudden departure of the US contingent will create the conditions for Islamist groups to regroup.
An abrupt departure from Iraq, as Mike Pompeo even suggested, by threatening to close the embassy in Baghdad, still fears a possible escalation of tension with Iran, and Iraqis fear that their country will become a theater of war.
Donald Trump’s announcement of the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the American press, is expected to take place later this week, and soldiers are expected to return to the United States a few days before Joe Biden takes office. the office of president. January 20.
