Mod: There are quite a few theories going around today about why DonaldTrump canceled his military assault on Iran at the very last possible minute yesterday. You might think differently, but my suspicion is Putin called and told his most highly placed American agent don't do it.
New York Times: Trump abruptly calls off military strikes against Iran after approving them (
CNNlink):
President Donald Trump abruptly called off military strikes against
Iran on Thursday night after previously approving the strikes in retaliation for
Iran shooting down a
US military drone,
The New York Times reports.
The operation was already underway in its initial stages -- ships were in position and planes were in the air -- but no missiles had been fired when the order came to stand down, a senior administration official told the
Times. The strike had been scheduled for just before dawn on
Friday in
Iran to minimize the risk to civilians and the
Iranian military, and military officials received word shortly after then that the strike was off, at least temporarily. The
United States remains locked in a standoff with
Iran, with
US military or diplomatic responses having the potential to provoke further escalation from
Tehran.
Iran's downing of a
US drone earlier Thursday has left the
President caught between
Republicans demanding a response and congressional
Democrats warning that
Trump -- and the
Iran policy hardliners on his national security staff, who welcome the confrontation -- could lose control of the situation and lead the
US into war. Military and diplomatic officials were expecting a strike as late as 7 p.m. on Thursday after intense debate among
Trump's top national security officials and congressional leaders at the
White House, multiple senior administration officials involved in or briefed on the deliberations told the
Times.
Trump initially approved attacks on a handful of
Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries, and the
Times reports it was not clear whether
Trump simply changed his mind or whether his administration pulled back because of strategy or logistics. It was also not clear whether the attacks may still occur.
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