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.”
Trump says ‘hatred’ between Putin, Zelenskyy blocking Ukraine peace deal
Trump touts US has ‘tremendous’ amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to ‘take care’ of Cuba after Iran focus
Major Hospital Stops Providing Some Trans Surgeries to Adults
Florida Democrat Insults Charlie Kirk’s Memory in Disgusting Protest of Day of Remembrance
Newsom rips Noem as ‘Kosplay Barbie’ over $220M ad campaign, demands DHS release $500M for LA wildfires
In an Unexpected SCOTUS Moment, Justice Gorsuch Educated the Court on How Much Founding Fathers Drank – It Was Apparently a Lot
Teens inspired by ‘Scream’ recorded ‘first kill’ plot before stabbing classmate to death
White Cops in Philadelphia Sue City Over Alleged Racial Discrimination
Vocal anti-Trump Dem reveals which industry is trying to oust him from House seat: ‘I was a target’
Driver accused of attempting to mow down cop during street takeover strolls free hours later on $3K bond
Revealed: The Epic 3-Word Message That Popped Up on Potentially Millions of Israeli-Hacked Iranian Phones Just Before the Bombs Dropped
Minnesota Fraud Probe Could End with Criminal Referrals, Says House Oversight Chairman
Nancy Pelosi doubles down on defending Obama’s strikes on Libya while attacking Trump: ‘Read the law’
Noem reveals Trump will have ‘big agreement’ to announce at major summit with world leaders
Pelosi and Newsom may need to put an end to California’s ‘circular firing squad’ to avoid a midterm shock
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
Trump says ‘hatred’ between Putin, Zelenskyy blocking Ukraine peace deal
Trump touts US has ‘tremendous’ amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to ‘take care’ of Cuba after Iran focus
Major Hospital Stops Providing Some Trans Surgeries to Adults
Florida Democrat Insults Charlie Kirk’s Memory in Disgusting Protest of Day of Remembrance
Newsom rips Noem as ‘Kosplay Barbie’ over $220M ad campaign, demands DHS release $500M for LA wildfires
In an Unexpected SCOTUS Moment, Justice Gorsuch Educated the Court on How Much Founding Fathers Drank – It Was Apparently a Lot
Teens inspired by ‘Scream’ recorded ‘first kill’ plot before stabbing classmate to death
White Cops in Philadelphia Sue City Over Alleged Racial Discrimination
Vocal anti-Trump Dem reveals which industry is trying to oust him from House seat: ‘I was a target’
Driver accused of attempting to mow down cop during street takeover strolls free hours later on $3K bond
Revealed: The Epic 3-Word Message That Popped Up on Potentially Millions of Israeli-Hacked Iranian Phones Just Before the Bombs Dropped
Minnesota Fraud Probe Could End with Criminal Referrals, Says House Oversight Chairman
Nancy Pelosi doubles down on defending Obama’s strikes on Libya while attacking Trump: ‘Read the law’
Noem reveals Trump will have ‘big agreement’ to announce at major summit with world leaders
Pelosi and Newsom may need to put an end to California’s ‘circular firing squad’ to avoid a midterm shock
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.
