US President Donald Trump on Friday said he called off retaliatory strikes on three Iranian sites following the downing of a US Navy drone because the action would not have been “proportionate.”
“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,” Trump said on Twitter. “10 minutes before the strike I stopped it.”
A commander in the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps told a semi-official news agency that the drone had been accompanied by a crewed US spy plane that Iranian forces decided not to target.
Photo: AP
The planned US attack, ordered after Iranian forces shot down the drone over the Strait of Hormuz, would have involved airstrikes and was close to being carried out when it was stopped, said a US administration official, who would not discuss whether the plan might still be revived.
The official was granted anonymity to discuss a national security matter.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton was pushing for the strike.
Officials were prepared to notify allies of the strike, but Trump changed his mind based on additional information, an official said.
Iran was not given any warning of possible retaliation.
With tensions still high, the Iranians called Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner into the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for talks.
The Swiss embassy also represents US interests in Iran and its envoy traditionally serves as the conduit for messages between the two nations, which have no diplomatic relations.
However, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters that the Iranians “continue to reject diplomatic overtures to de-escalate tensions in the region.”
Other allies in Europe are also trying to calm tensions.
British Minister of State for the Middle East Andrew Murrison is planning to go to Tehran as soon as possible, a person familiar with the matter said.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for both sides to “avoid escalation,” adding that diplomatic efforts are being made to reach out to Iran for talks.
Speaking in an interview with NBC News on Friday, Trump said the strikes were “about ready to go,” but when he heard that about 150 people would have been killed, he said: “I didn’t think it was proportionate.”
In one of his tweets, Trump said: “I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world.”
Trump spoke with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to discuss the situation with Iran, stability in the region and the global oil market, the White House said.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the country had “indisputable” evidence that the US drone had violated Iranian airspace and state TV showed what it said were recovered parts of the downed aircraft.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran would not hesitate for a moment to decisively defend its territory against any aggression,” Araghchi said.
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