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.”
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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
Watchdog blasts BBC, CNN, NYT for applying ‘war crime’ label almost exclusively to US, Israel in Iran conflict
White House slams ‘trash reporting’ over claims ICE chief hospitalized for stress, yelled at by Trump admin
Breaking: Tiger Woods Involved in Rollover Crash in Florida
Rubio Accuses Zelenskyy of Telling a Significant Lie About US Security Guarantees: ‘He Knows That’s Not True’
Driver passed out as self-driving car kept moving—police find more than a medical emergency inside
Johnson accuses Democrats of taking government hostage over ‘crazy’ immigration agenda
Mamdani endorses planned NYC ‘No Kings’ rally, derides ICE as ‘rogue agency’
Secret Service Agent Shoots Himself While Working on Jill Biden’s Detail
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: ‘Lovers’ Lane’ breakthrough, Gilgo Beach suspect’s plea, Jimmy Gracey’s ruling
Mike Johnson splits from Thune with eight-week DHS funding bill
Hollywood Star Sounds Off About Celeb Politics: You Make ‘Half Your Audience Despise You’
Trump will ask Congress to pass additional farm relief amid Iran war price spikes
Judge freezes Trump admin move against AI firm, fueling battle over security authority
Greg Bovino is writing a book to ‘memorialize’ the Border Patrol officers on the front lines of Trump’s deportation operation
‘Ship has sailed’: This is what Dems won’t get in DHS deal after shunning GOP
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.
