Trump calls off Iran strike
A brief timeline of recent US-Iran relations
Tensions between the US and Iran have been escalating in recent days.
Here's a look at the most recent developments in the two nations' relationships:
- June 13: Two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman are attacked. The US blames Iran for the incident, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying the assessment was based on intelligence (but he presented no evidence to support his claim).
- June 14: President Trump says "Iran did do it" when asked about the attacks.
- Thursday: Iran shoots down a US military drone. The US claims the drone was in international airspace, while Iran says the drone was over its territory.
- Thursday night: President Trump calls off a military operation to strike Iran in retaliation for the downed drone.
- Today: Trump tweets that the US was "cocked & loaded to retaliate" against Iran, but he called off the strike because he decided there would be too many deaths for a proportionate response to the downing of the US drone.
- Also today: The Federal Aviation Administration bans US airlines from flying over the area and several other airlines said they would avoid the Strait of Hormuz.
There is no indication the US is talking to Iran, source says
There is no indication the United States has been talking to Iran, even through a backchannel, a senior diplomatic source from a US ally told CNN.
The source was also critical of US tactics regarding Iran leading up to the latest incident involving the shootdown of a US drone.
While Washington says the goal is to re-establish deterrence on Iran, the source said “re-establishment of deterrence is escalation. US actions brought us where we are today. Yet, meanwhile, the Iranians keep hearing Trump saying he doesn’t want war. So they’ll keep going right up to what they feel is the current line."
Trump: Planes were not in the air when I pulled back the strike
President Trump described in more detail his decision to pull back strikes on Iran, saying he didn't feel an attack that left 150 dead was proportionate to the downing of a US drone.
"Nothing was greenlighted until the very end because things change," Trump said in an interview with NBC News. "We had something ready to go subject to my approval."
Trump said planes were not in the air when he ordered the pull back, but "would have been pretty soon."
"Things would have happened to a point where you would not turn back, you could not turn back," he said.
Trump said he asked his national security officials how many would be killed if he went forward, and was given an approximate figure of 150.
"I thought about it for a second and I said, you know what, they shot down an unmanned drone, plane, whatever you want to call it, and here we are sitting with a 150 dead people that would have taken place probably within a half an hour after I said go ahead, and I didn’t like it, I didn’t think, I didn’t think it was proportionate," Trump said.
Behind the Trump administration's decision-making on Iran
The call not go forward with the strike was made between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, a separate senior administration official said.
The source said key players in the decision were not all huddled in the Situation Room. Some White House officials involved weren't physically in the White House and Department of Defense officials were at the Pentagon.
The source said while President Trump had received the risk assessment before the strike, "he made the call when he internalized the severity of casualties."
Once they had almost reached the trigger point, the President made the final call.
Behind the decision: The source said just because the administration didn't follow through with the strike, that doesn't mean there still won't be a response.
There was unanimity on the strike, led by national security adviser Bolton. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were also in agreement. Other officials agreed that there needed to be some kind of response. The source made clear that officials still believe a response is needed and that is what they are considering today. There were different responses presented and different voices about whether the strike was the right response.
What the 2020 candidates are saying about Iran
Some Democrats running for President have started weighing in on the escalating tensions in Iran and President Trump's decision to call off a strike against the nation.
Here's a look at where some of the 2020 contenders stand:
- Asked how he'd respond to escalating tensions in Iran, Pete Buttigieg said "I would first respond by engaging our allies, this is not the kind of situation that you want to deal with alone." He said the US is currently in an "extremely dangerous moment" and added that Trump "has trouble making decisions."
- Corey Booker said the Trump administration has "led us on a march to war, with no off ramp" and accused President Trump and other officials of being "bent on escalating an already tenuous situation in the Middle East, with no plan in place to de-escalate tensions."
- When asked about Trump's decision to call off the strike last night, John Hickenlooper said, "I would argue reckless foreign policy that President Trump has been pursuing makes us less safe and makes the world less safe."
- This morning, Tulsi Gabbard tweeted, "Iran war is HIGHLY likely unless Trump swallows his pride & returns to the Iran nuclear agreement he tore up."
Iran said it could have shot down a US plane with people on board. The US confirms an aircraft was in the area.
There was a P-8 surveillance aircraft operating in the area at the time Iran shot down a RQ-4 yesterday, a US official tells CNN.
The plane was in international airspace, the official said.
According to the US Navy, the P-8 aircraft is configured to carry a crew of 9 people.
What this is all about: Earlier today, Iran said there was a US plane flying near the downed RQ-4 drone, but they refrained from targeting it, according to Iran’s commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
"While we were tracking the spy drone there was also a P-8 spy plane with 35 crew on board which we could have shot at, but we did not do so," Hajizadeh said.
Note: Hajizadeh said the plane was carrying a crew of 35 people — far more than the 9 the P-8 is configured to carry.
Trump tweets on Iran: "We were cocked & loaded"
President Trump is tweeting about his decision to stop an operation to strike Iran last night.
"We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die," he tweeted. "150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone."
Here's his full thread:
....Death to America. I terminated deal, which was not even ratified by Congress, and imposed strong sanctions. They are a much weakened nation today than at the beginning of my Presidency, when they were causing major problems throughout the Middle East. Now they are Bust!....
14.3K people are talking about this
....On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not....
....proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!
43.9K people are talking about this
Here's where things stand with US-Iran relations now
Tensions have been escalating between the US and Iran. If you're just getting caught up, here's what you need to know:
- First, some background: Iran shot down a United States military drone on Thursday. Last week, two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman — and US officials have blamed Iran for conducting.
- About the downed drone: The US claims the drone was in international airspace, while Iran says the drone was over its territory.
- Last night: A military operation to strike Iran in retaliation for the downed drone was set to begin Thursday night when President Trump called it off, a US official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN.
- How tensions are affecting flights: The Federal Aviation Administration is prohibiting US flights over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman due to rising tensions. Some airlines that operate flights in the region said Friday that they would adjust their operations.
Emirates re-routes flights away from Strait of Hormuz
Dubai-based airline Emirates it is re-routing all flights away from "areas of possible conflict."
Here's the company's statement:
"In light of the current situation, Emirates has taken precautionary measures including rerouting all flights away from areas of possible conflict. We are carefully monitoring the ongoing developments and are in close contact with the relevant government authorities with regards to our flight operations, and will make further operational changes if the need arises."
About the area: The Strait of Hormuz has been the site of increasing tensions in recent weeks. Two oil tankers were attacked in the nearby Gulf of Oman last week — something the US has blamed Iran for.
Emirates said the adjustments have "minimally" affected the arrival and departure times of some flights.
Other airlines — including KLM, Qantas and British Airways — have also announced changes to their operations. The FAA on Thursday night banned US airlines from operating planes over parts of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
Here's a look at the area the FAA is restricting:
Iran refrained from shooting down US plane with 35 people on board, Iranian official says
Iran said there was a US plane flying in the vicinity of the downed RQ-4 drone — but Iran refrained from targeting it, according to Iran’s commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
"While we were tracking the spy drone there was also a P-8 spy plane with 35 crew on board which we could have shot at, but we did not do so," Hajizadeh said on Friday.
Hajizadeh went on to say: "Last week the Americans said that Iranian forces had tried to shoot and destroy an American drone. If we wanted to destroy that drone we could have done so at that time.”
Aborted US strikes targeted Iranian radars and missile batteries
The aborted US strikes against Iran on Thursday were meant to target a limited set of Iranian radars and missile batteries, according to a US official with direct knowledge of the matter.
The strikes were set to begin on Thursday night when the White House called them off, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
No US weapons had been launched when the decision was made to call the strikes off, the official said.
The decision to call off the strikes was first reported by the New York Times.
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