NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden has discussed plans to launch potential strikes on Iranian nuclear sites if the Islamic Republic moves to expedite its programme ahead of the January 20 inauguration of the new administration. Axios reported that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan secretly briefed Biden about the potential strikes weeks ago, citing a senior official.

The official however added that there was no additional intelligence on Iran’s nuclear programme and Biden didn’t make any final decision.
The briefing was part of “prudent scenario planning,” said the official.
Axios reported citing another White House source that the current administration was not actively discussing possible military action against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Sullivan last month warned that US has to be extremely careful in the wake of “strategic blows” to the Islamic Republic amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
“You can look at the public statements of Iranian officials, which have changed in the last few months as they have been dealt these strategic blows, to raise the question: Do we have to change our doctrine at some point? The fact that that’s coming out publicly is something that has to be looked at extremely carefully,” he said at the time.

President-elect Donald Trump waged a “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran during his first administration, which also saw the US unilaterally walking out from the nuclear deal. Biden tried to revive the deal with Tehran but to no avail. Trump during his presidential campaign vowed to “make a deal.”

“We have to make a deal, because the consequences are impossible. We have to make a deal,” Trump said in September.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday that nuclear talks between Tehran and three European countries will take place on January 13 in Geneva.