Posted on 06/21/19
| News Source: FOX News
President Trump confirmed early Friday that he called off a retaliatory attack on Iran in response to the downing of a U.S. drone “10 minutes before the strike,” saying the number of expected casualties was not "proportionate" to what Tehran did.
In a stunning tweet thread, the president said the U.S. was "cocked & loaded to retaliate" against three sites, but he reversed course after asking military leaders about how many would be killed.
"... I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not ... proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world," Trump said. "Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!"
A source had confirmed to Fox News earlier Friday morning that the administration made a last-minute decision to call off retaliatory strikes against Iran. But until Trump's tweets, few details about the aborted mission and the circumstances that led to the reversal were publicly available. And it remained unclear Friday whether strike plans have been definitively shelved.
Multiple news outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post and Associated Press, had reported similar accounts of strikes being called off late Thursday — citing unnamed sources. These reports portray a mission that would have targeted Iranian missile batteries and radars.
No shots were fired and no missiles were launched, according to the AP.
Meanwhile, in Iran, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division claimed at a news conference Friday that a manned U.S. spy plane was near the downed drone but Iran chose not to target it.
Top White House officials met earlier Thursday for a classified briefing that lasted over an hour about the drone, and those in attendance suggested that a “measured” response was likely coming soon.
Despite earlier rhetoric, President Trump indeed appeared to be taking a measured approach to the crisis. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., an outspoken Trump critic who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said the president is listening to congressional leaders who are urging caution.
Trump told reporters that Iran made a "very big mistake" but also said he had the feeling that it might have been the result of someone being "loose and stupid," rather than a deliberate provocation by Iran.
The Pentagon released video showing the smoke trail of a Navy drone that was shot out of the sky over the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, in what military officials described as an "unprovoked attack." Read more at FOX News