Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

The Daily Beast says President Donald Trump has given his top advisors "the green light to batter the Iranian regime—anything that doesn’t hazard a full-on war before Joe Biden is inaugurated."

Citing "multiple U.S. officials familiar with the matter", the paper claims Trump has recently taken a more passive role in Iran policy.

According to the Beast, President Trump has given administration officials "carte blanche to squeeze and punish the Islamic Republic as aggressively as they wish in the coming weeks. All Trump asks is that they don’t risk 'start[ing] World War III,' as the President has specifically put it in several private conversations with Pompeo and others, according to two senior administration officials."

Two officials who spoke to the Daily Beast said the administration is set to announce new sanctions on regime-linked companies and individuals in the coming weeks to solidify a years-long effort to paralyze Tehran’s economy.