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
Trump’s fingerprints seen on Latin America’s rightward shift as Brazil becomes next test
Nicki Minaj pledges to support Donald Trump again during Michigan Republican campaign rally
El Sayed mocks Rogers’s ‘earpiece’ and Trump’s ‘a**’ remarks in Grand Rapids rally
Sanders calls Michigan Senate race a test of Trump, accuses president of using racism to divide voters
Bruce Blakeman calls Kathy Hochul Zohran Mamdani’s ‘puppet’ during New York campaign rally
College homecoming party turns to chaos as deck collapses, leaving at least 28 people injured
Ninth Circuit questions Trump DOJ’s emergency request to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots
Stolen car slams into South Carolina home as teens bolt, authorities say
Trump: Nicki Minaj has ‘one hell of a beautiful a**’
Woman busted in NYC rabbi syringe attack allegedly stabbed another Jewish man hours earlier: report
Ilhan Omar Accused of Leaking Info to Foreign Leaders in Somalia as Resurfaced Post Brings Evidence to Light
Airbnb Cracks Down on Hosts Treating Guests Like a Free Maid Service
How Is This Legal? Pollster Boosting Dem in Mississippi Admits It Fabricated Most Election Surveys
MAPPED: The states Trump and top Democrats are targeting before Election Day
Young Voters Who Helped Hand Trump White House Are Flocking Back to Dems for the Midterms: Poll
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.
