The New York Times reported Thursday evening that President Donald Trump ordered air and naval strikes against Iranian targets in response to the shooting down of a U.S. Navy drone earlier that day, but canceled them “abruptly.”
The Times reported:
President Trump approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night after a day of escalating tensions.
…
The operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off, a senior administration official said. Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down, the official said.
…
It was not clear whether Mr. Trump simply changed his mind on the strikes or whether the administration altered course because of logistics or strategy. It was also not clear whether the attacks might still go forward.
The Times added a curious detail: “No government officials asked The New York Times to withhold the article.”
Cardinal Demands Vote for New Pope Despite 5 Year Prison Sentence After Unheard of Vatican Trial
Federal Judge in West Texas Stops Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act
Trump blasts Putin, questioning if Russian leader wants peace or is just ‘tapping me along’
Trump Levels Crockett: ‘Demeaning to Our Country’
‘No excuse’: Bipartisan fury erupts over New Jersey’s REAL ID backlog
Illegal Alien Arrested After Game of Hide-and-Seek Allegedly Takes a Heinous Turn
Trump and Biden sit rows apart, president meets with Zelensky: Pope Francis funeral takeaways
Experts reveal Trump’s next move could be ‘nail in coffin’ for Biden-era regulations on nicotine
China Orders Airlines Not to Take Deliveries of Boeing Planes
Fox News Digital’s Presidential 100 Days Quiz
Alex Soros in hot seat after left-wing outlet exposes what his dad’s network thinks of his online footprint
Here’s what happened during Trump’s 14th week in office
MSNBC Staffers Realize Something About Rachel Maddow’s New Boss: ‘He Could Have a MAGA Hat at Home’
Trump pays his respects to a pope who publicly and pointedly disagreed with him
Karen Read’s ambulance ride admission becomes flashpoint at second trial
Trump’s critics accused him of “cold feet.” But the fact that the administration did not try to stop the story also suggests it could have been leaked deliberately. Indeed, at least one other reporter claimed he had received similar information:
.@nytimes scooping me again. I was sitting on this information for six hours. Can confirm this reporting. https://t.co/SLgwuKeAO4
— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) June 21, 2019
Cardinal Demands Vote for New Pope Despite 5 Year Prison Sentence After Unheard of Vatican Trial
Federal Judge in West Texas Stops Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act
Trump blasts Putin, questioning if Russian leader wants peace or is just ‘tapping me along’
Trump Levels Crockett: ‘Demeaning to Our Country’
‘No excuse’: Bipartisan fury erupts over New Jersey’s REAL ID backlog
Illegal Alien Arrested After Game of Hide-and-Seek Allegedly Takes a Heinous Turn
Trump and Biden sit rows apart, president meets with Zelensky: Pope Francis funeral takeaways
Experts reveal Trump’s next move could be ‘nail in coffin’ for Biden-era regulations on nicotine
China Orders Airlines Not to Take Deliveries of Boeing Planes
Fox News Digital’s Presidential 100 Days Quiz
Alex Soros in hot seat after left-wing outlet exposes what his dad’s network thinks of his online footprint
Here’s what happened during Trump’s 14th week in office
MSNBC Staffers Realize Something About Rachel Maddow’s New Boss: ‘He Could Have a MAGA Hat at Home’
Trump pays his respects to a pope who publicly and pointedly disagreed with him
Karen Read’s ambulance ride admission becomes flashpoint at second trial
Trump tweeted Thursday morning that “Iran made a very big mistake!”, but later suggested that the “mistake” may have simply been an accident. In the double meaning of the word “mistake,” he preserved both the threat of retaliation and the possibility of a diplomatic solution.
Regardless, Iran will know how close it was to being attacked, and still is.
Story cited here.
