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.”
Extremely Strange 25-Year-Old Connection Uncovered Between Dead Brown Shooting Suspect from Portugal and Murdered MIT Professor for Portugal
Video: Brown Univ. President Drops Astonishing Claim on Missing Cameras That Absolutely No One Believes
Noem announces pause on immigrant visa lottery that allowed alleged Brown shooter to enter US
Rubio unloads on ‘alarmists,’ touts State Dept disaster response after USAID closure
Rob Reiner, 1947–2025
North Carolina’s longest-serving governor dies at 88 after serving 4 terms in office
Milwaukee County judge found guilty of obstructing federal immigration agents in courthouse incident
BREAKING: Deceased Brown Shooting Suspect ID’d as 48-Year-Old Portuguese National, Student at Brown
US military strikes narco-terrorist vessels in latest Eastern Pacific drug trafficking operation
Maria Shriver slams Trump over Kennedy Center name change decision: ‘Beyond comprehension’
Minneapolis police chief blasts ICE after agent seen dragging woman through street, kneeling on her back
Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente identified as Brown University shooting suspect, found dead
Trump quietly signs sweeping $901B defense bill after bipartisan Senate passage
Justice Department prepares to drop trove of Epstein files as deadline looms
Erika Kirk vows to get Vance ‘elected for 48’ at AmericaFest
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
Extremely Strange 25-Year-Old Connection Uncovered Between Dead Brown Shooting Suspect from Portugal and Murdered MIT Professor for Portugal
Video: Brown Univ. President Drops Astonishing Claim on Missing Cameras That Absolutely No One Believes
Noem announces pause on immigrant visa lottery that allowed alleged Brown shooter to enter US
Rubio unloads on ‘alarmists,’ touts State Dept disaster response after USAID closure
Rob Reiner, 1947–2025
North Carolina’s longest-serving governor dies at 88 after serving 4 terms in office
Milwaukee County judge found guilty of obstructing federal immigration agents in courthouse incident
BREAKING: Deceased Brown Shooting Suspect ID’d as 48-Year-Old Portuguese National, Student at Brown
US military strikes narco-terrorist vessels in latest Eastern Pacific drug trafficking operation
Maria Shriver slams Trump over Kennedy Center name change decision: ‘Beyond comprehension’
Minneapolis police chief blasts ICE after agent seen dragging woman through street, kneeling on her back
Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente identified as Brown University shooting suspect, found dead
Trump quietly signs sweeping $901B defense bill after bipartisan Senate passage
Justice Department prepares to drop trove of Epstein files as deadline looms
Erika Kirk vows to get Vance ‘elected for 48’ at AmericaFest
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.
