Trump calls off Iranian strikes, ratcheting down tension

The United States made preparations for a military strike against Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, but the operation was abruptly called off with just hours to go, a U.S. official said.

News 12 Staff

Jun 21, 2019, 9:22 AM

Updated 1,761 days ago

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By LOLITA C. BALDOR and DEB RIECHMANN
Associated Press

 
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. was "cocked and loaded' to retaliate against Iran for downing an American drone, but canceled the missile strikes 10 minutes before they were to be executed after being told some 150 people could die.
 
Trump tweeted Friday that the U.S. will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. But he said he's in no hurry to respond to the downing of the U.S. surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. His statement was the latest indication that he does not want to escalate the clash with Tehran, but he didn't rule out a future U.S. strike.
 
He said U.S. economic sanctions are crippling the Iranian economy and more are being added.
 
Iran claimed Friday it had issued several warnings before shooting down the drone over what it said was Iranian territory.
(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
 
 


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