The U.S. was just hours away from beginning military strikes against Iran, before President Trump reportedly pulled the plug on the operation.
The intended targets of the strikes, which were recommended by the Defense Department, would have included radars and missile batteries. Top military brass and diplomats were expecting the attack until the operation was called off around 7:30 p.m. Thursday night. Planes were already in the air and ships were readying for the escalation, but no missiles were ever fired.
Trump spent most of Thursday huddled with top national security officials and congressional leaders discussing U.S. strategy for Iran. Iran shot down a U.S. drone earlier, prompting the discussions about the planned attack.
The president reportedly used Oman as a backchannel to speak with Iranian officials prior to the would-be strikes. Oman relayed that message to Iran, making it clear that the U.S. was looking to begin discussions. Iran responded by saying that it was up to leader Ayatollah Khamenei. An Iranian official relayed to the U.S. through Oman “that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House Thursday, Trump seemed reticent to dive into direct military confrontation in the region, although he did hint that some sort of reaction was in the works.
“We’ll be able to report back and you’ll understand exactly what happened, but it was a very foolish move, that I can tell you,” Trump said, describing the downing of the $130 million drone. “This is a new wrinkle, this is a new fly in the ointment, what happened, shooting down the drone,” he said. “And this country will not stand for it, that I can tell you.”
“I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.”
The U.S. announced Monday that it was sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East after a pair of oil tankers were attacked earlier this month. Last month, four other tankers were targeted by Iran.
In addition to the additional troops, the U.S. has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East.
