Connect with us

World

Jake Sullivan, Biden discussed possibility of hitting Iran nuclear program: report

Published

on

Jake Sullivan, Biden discussed possibility of hitting Iran nuclear program: report

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

In a top meeting with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan roughly a month ago, President Biden was presented with a series of strike options should Iran make a move to develop a nuclear weapon, reported Axios on Friday. 

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding the strike options, but according to the report, Biden has not signed off on any plans to hit Iran’s nuclear program. 

Advertisement

Biden has vowed not to let Iran develop a nuclear weapon on his watch, but it remains unclear what steps Iran would have to take in order for the Biden administration to respond with direct hits, given that Tehran has already been reported to have stockpiled near-weapons-grade uranium and to be bolstering its weaponization capabilities. 

A big banner depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is placed next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran, on September 26, 2024, on the sideline of an exhibition that marks the 44th anniversary of the start of Iran-Iraq war.  (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP via Getty Images)

IRAN EXPANDS WEAPONIZATION CAPABILITIES CRITICAL FOR EMPLOYING NUCLEAR BOMB

The president was reportedly presented with a series of scenarios and response options during the meeting, though sources told the outlet that Biden has not made any final decisions regarding the information he was given. 

Another source reportedly said that currently there are no active discussions on militarily hitting Iran’s program.

Advertisement

Biden repeatedly warned Israel against hitting Tehran’s nuclear program as tensions between the two nations reached a boiling point last year amid the conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah – both of which had the backing of Iran. 

But some aides close to the president have reportedly argued that the U.S. has the “imperative” and the “opportunity” to strike Tehran’s nuclear ambitions given its efforts to accelerate its program and its weakened position given the significantly degraded standing of Iran’s proxy forces. 

Sources told Axios that Sullivan did not advise the president to take action either way but merely presented him with scenarios. 

U.S. President Joe Biden confers with his National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during a roundtable with Jewish community leaders in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building October 11, 2023, in Washington, D.C.  (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

IRAN LAUNCHES ROCKET WITH HEAVIEST-EVER PAYLOAD INTO SPACE AMID HEIGHTENED CONCERN OVER NUCLEAR PROGRAM

Advertisement

The report also noted that the National Security Adviser, along with other aides to the president, believed that the degraded nature of Iran’s air defenses and missile capabilities and weakened proxy forces could improve the likelihood of a successful strike and decrease the chance of Iranian retaliation. 

Biden reportedly focused on the issue of urgency and whether Iran had taken specific steps to justify a potentially conflict-inducing military strike just weeks before a new administration takes office – though it remains unclear what those steps would include. 

“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,” Sullivan said during remarks in New York just one week before Christmas Day. 

Iranian protesters carry flowers while standing in front of a giant banner depicting a portrait of Lebanon’s Hezbollah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, during a protest gathering to condemn an Israeli air strike against Hezbollah’s headquarters in the suburb of Beirut, and the killing of Hassan Nasrallah and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force commander, General Abbas Nilforoushan, in Tehran, Iran, on September 30, 2024.  (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Advertisement

He also pointed to the blows Iran has seen this year and argued that they could push Iran to develop a nuclear weapon rather than deter it. 

“It generates choices for that adversary that can be quite dangerous, and that’s something we have to remain extremely vigilant about as we go forward,” Sullivan said.

World

Gunfire shatters Toronto Latin street festival, leaving at least 2 dead and multiple wounded

Published

on

Gunfire shatters Toronto Latin street festival, leaving at least 2 dead and multiple wounded

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Toronto Police Service is investigating after gunfire broke out Saturday night at a large Latin street festival in Midtown Toronto, leaving at least two people dead and four others wounded.

Police said they received reports of a shooting at St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue at 8:12 p.m. local time and discovered an active shooter situation.

First responders found six people suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)

Advertisement

USPS WORKER ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGED MASS SHOOTING THREAT AGAINST TEXAS PRIDE EVENT, FBI SAYS

It is unclear what led to the shooting, and authorities said suspect(s) are still “outstanding.” No arrests have been made as of Saturday evening, police said. 

Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said during a news conference there seemed to be an “exchange of gunfire” between two individuals targeting each other.

“This is a very chaotic scene,” he said. “I think we had something in the neighborhood of 13,000 people participating in this festival.”

Police initially described the incident as an active shooter situation before later determining that was not the case.

Advertisement

Police officers stand guard at the site of a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. (REUTERS/Cole Burston)

“There was some concern of an active shooter. That turned out not to be the case,” Barredo said.

Barredo said authorities were managing three separate crime scenes connected to the shooting. Two firearms have been recovered, he added.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “horrified” by the shooting.

“My prayers are with the families grieving their loved ones, those who are in critical condition, and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event,” he said in a statement.

Advertisement

“My thanks to the police officers and other first responders whose courage and fast action prevented further tragedy,” he continued. “Police have my full support as they work to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Paramedics respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday.  (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)

FOUR DEAD AND 29 SHOT IN CHICAGO WEEKEND VIOLENCE AS LEADERS TOUT CRIME PROGRESS

Following the shooting, the Toronto Transit Commission suspended train stops at the nearby St. Clair West station on Line 1 Yonge-University due to what officials described as a “security incident.”

Regular transit service has since resumed.

Advertisement

Authorities urged the public to avoid the area and follow all directives from police at the scene.

The TD Salsa on St. Clair Festival, Toronto’s biggest Latin culture celebration, was celebrating its 22nd annual event in Toronto’s Hillcrest Village.

Emergency Task Force vehicles and police officers are seen on the site of a shooting in Toronto on Saturday. (Jorge UZON / AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Toronto Police Service told Fox News Digital no further information is available.

Advertisement

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

World

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, architect of modern Qatar

Published

on

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, architect of modern Qatar

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar who transformed the small Gulf state into one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential nations through its vast natural gas wealth and an ambitious programme of political, economic and social reforms, has died. He was 74.

A charismatic figure with a friendly demeanor, the father Emir assumed the reins of power in 1995. Regarded as the architect of modern Qatar, he embarked on forging development and reform plans and education programs.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

During his reign, Qatar’s GDP increased more than twenty-fourfold, while production from the North Field turned the country into the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2006. After four years, the small nation’s LNG production capacity reached 77 million tons per annum, according to government’s figure.

His tenure also saw the establishment of the Qatar Foundation, the launch of Al Jazeera News Channel in 1996, the promulgation of Qatar’s first permanent constitution in 2004 and the introduction of municipal elections in which women were granted the right to vote and stand as candidates. Under his leadership, the Gulf nation also adopted the Qatar National Vision 2030 and secured the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Advertisement

Born in Doha in January 1952, Sheikh Hamad graduated from the British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst before becoming commander of Qatar’s armed forces. He became heir apparent and defence minister in 1977, assumed power as emir on June 27, 1995, and handed over leadership to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on June 25, 2013.

“The future lies ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where young leadership hoists the banner,” Sheikh Hamad said as he announced his abdication and the carefully crafted transition to his son, the British-educated crown prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33.

The peaceful, voluntary transfer of power was rare in a region where such change usually results from death or overthrow.

Continue Reading

World

Iranians Bury Slain Leader Amid Renewed Fighting

Published

on

Iranians mourning the country’s supreme leader condemned U.S. strikes that Washington called retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. At a tightly controlled state funeral in Mashhad — one of Iran’s most conservative cities, where opponents of the government were unlikely to be found in the crowd — mourners voiced defiance and called for revenge.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending