US President Donald Trump authorized U.S. military strikes against Iran on Thursday, but officials abruptly pulled back from carrying them out just hours later, The New York Times reported.
Military planes and ships were getting ready to attack Iranian targets — such as radar and missile batteries — when the attack was called off, according to the Times. No missiles had been fired, said the report.
The newspaper noted that it’s unclear if the scaling back of the plans reflected a change in opinion by the president or if there was a shift in strategy that necessitated they be delayed. It’s also unclear if they will go forward in the future.
Report Focus News eached out to the White House for comment.
On Thursday, Iran shot down an unmanned American spy drone that was flying over the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian government said the aircraft had flown into the country’s airspace, although President Donald Trump said the drone was “clearly” in international waters.
“We have it all documented,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “It’s documented scientifically, not just words.”
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been rising since the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.
Before the confrontation over the American drone, the U.S. accused Iran of recent attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region.
