1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. "The War on Terror"
  4.  » 
  5. Iran
  6.  » Trump approves military strikes on Iran but abruptly decides against launch, says report

Andrew Buncombe – The Independent June 21, 2019

Donald Trump approved military strikes against Iran on Friday morning but abruptly decided not to launch them, according to reports.

Having initially said he believed Iran had made an error when it shot down a US drone early on Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz, the president is nonetheless believed to have approved retaliatory military strikes against Tehran.

The operation to hit targets such as radars and missile batteries was in its initial stages, the New York Times said, and planes were in the air and ships had been moved into position.

But before any missiles were fired, the president decided not to go ahead with the operation.

It was not clear if Mr Trump had changed his mind, or whether the strike was called off for operational or strategic reasons, said the report. At the same time Mr Trump was deciding whether to pursue a strike, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency order prohibiting US operators from flying in airspace controlled by Iran above “the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman”. The order came as United Airlines suspended its Mumbai-Newark flight that passes over Iran citing safety concerns, the Financial Times said.

t was unclear if the strike approved by the president could subsequently go ahead, or whether Mr Trump was trying to intimidate Tehran without actually using his military. Late on Thursday the White House declined to respond to questions as to whether he had changed his mind.

The New York Times said the strike was planned to have struck on Friday morning local time, and designed to minimise risk to the Iranian military or to civilians.

“But military officials received word a short time later that the strike was off, at least temporarily,” it said.

The revelation came amid a day of mixed signals from the president, as he sought to deal with an increasingly tense situation with Iran after the shooting down of the drone in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to reporters in the White House where he was meeting with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, the president was asked if he was planning a military response to the downing of the drone. “You’ll find out,” he said.

Continues …