WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has approved military strikesagainst Iran in retaliation for the downing of surveillance drone, butpulled back from launching the attacks.
According to the New York Times newspaper, the strikes were set to takeplace just before dawn on Friday to minimize risk to the Iranian militaryor to civilians.
It said planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missilesfired, when the order to stand down came.
White House and Pentagon officials declined to comment, the Times said, andit was unclear whether there were plans for such strikes to go forward inthe future.
Earlier, the US president tweeted that “Iran made a very big mistake!”,after Iran shot down a US drone in the southern province of Hormozgan.
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Revolutionary Guards targeted the “RQ-4 Global Hawk” when it entered Iran’sairspace “near the Kouhmobarak district in the south,” the State newsagency IRNA reported this while quoted the Guard’s news website, SepahNews, on Thursday.
General Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, saidthe incident sent “a clear message” to the US, adding that although Irandoes “not have any intention for war with any country, we are ready forwar.”
