Trump called off ‘limited’ Iranian strike when planes & ships were ‘in position’ – reports

US President Donald Trump reportedly had a last-minute change of heart, reversing his order to launch a strike on Iranian radar and missile sites when US aircraft and warships were about to fire at designated targets.

The decision to launch ‘limited’ military strikes on Iran was all but a done deal up to 7pm EST, when Trump withdrew his approval from the already unravelling operation, the New York Times reported on Thursday night, followed by ABC News and AP, also citing US officials aware of the internal discussions.

The military planes and vessels were already scrambled and were waiting for the go-ahead from Washington.

The media reports indicate that Trump was talked out of striking Iran while meeting with national security aides and congressional leaders prior to the proposed strike.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who was present at the meeting with Trump, said lawmakers urged him to avoid further escalation, warning of “unintended consequences” from inflaming the standoff.

“The president certainly listened to what we had to say,” Schiff told AP.

Trump has been stoking fears of an all-out war between Washington and Tehran for several weeks, and there has been a massive US military build-up at Iran’s doorstep. Invoking a “credible threat,” the US has sent a carrier strike group, a number of nuclear-capable B-52H bombers, fighter jets, and 2,500 additional troops to the region since May.

However, after Iranian forces shot down a US surveillance drone on Thursday morning, fears of actual military action spiked, with Trump saying he might consider a strike on Iran in response.

The idea of launching a small-scale precision strike, which Trump apparently turned down in his abrupt about-face, is nothing new. The same scenario, preceded by similar rhetoric from the Trump administration, was previously implemented by the Pentagon in targeting Syria – the latest case being April 2018, when the US-led coalition claimed to have targeted Syrian chemical facilities in response to the Douma chemical incident.

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