As tension between Iran and the US spiked on Thursday after Tehran shot down a surveillance drone, The New York Times reported President Donald Trump had authorised attacks against the Islamic nation over the incident, but then aborted the plan.
The New York Times claimed a military operation was under way in its early stages when it was called off. “Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down,” an unnamed official told The New York Times. According to the publication, the US retaliatory strike was “set to take place just before dawn Friday in Iran to minimise risk to the Iranian military or to civilians.”
“Officials said the president had initially approved attacks on a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries,” The New York Times claimed. The report noted, “It was not clear whether Trump simply changed his mind on the strikes or whether the administration altered course because of logistics or strategy. It was also not clear whether the attacks might still go forward.”
The explosive report in The New York Times came hours after officials of the Trump administration and key leaders of the Republican and Democrat parties deliberated over the response to Tehran's downing of a US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone over the Gulf of Oman earlier on Thursday.
According to The New York Times, Trump's national security team was split over the question of responding to Iran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton and CIA Director Gina Haspel reportedly favoured a military response to Iran. “But top Pentagon officials cautioned that such an action could result in a spiralling escalation with risks for American forces in the region.”
The MQ-4C Triton, a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) drone, was conducting surveillance over the Gulf of Oman when it was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. The incident happened a week after two oil tankers were damaged by mines in the area; the US and its allies accused Iran of orchestrating the incidents.
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Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump declared, “This drone was in international waters, clearly.” However, Trump was non-committal on his response to Iran, only stating, “Let’s see what happens.”
Meanwhile, in a sign of tension remaining high between the US and Iran, the US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency order barring US carriers from operating over airspace controlled by Iran over the Straits of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.
