Trump ends day of conflicting signals by calling off strike on Iran
WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) - Speaking to the press on Thursday afternoon, following Iran’s downing of a US drone on Wednesday night, US President Donald Trump apparently sought to deescalate any conflict. A day of somewhat contradictory signals then seemed to end with Republican congressmen who met with Trump and his national security team suggesting there would be a “measured response.” However, late on Thursday, The New York Times reported that Trump had approved a limited strike on Iranian military targets, only to call it off at the last minute.
On Thursday morning, Trump sent out a brief, ominous-sounding tweet: “Iran made a very big mistake.”
Iran made a very big mistake!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2019
But when speaking to reporters at noon, just before meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump clarified his tweet in a way that seemed to diminish Iran’s responsibility, suggesting a military officer may have acted outside the chain of command.
“Probably, Iran made a mistake,” Trump said. “I would imagine it was a general or somebody that made a mistake in shooting that drone down.”
Trump continued, noting that the drone was unmanned and no American lives were lost. “We had nobody in the drone,” he said. “It would have made a big, big difference,” if we had.
Asked how he intended to respond, Trump replied, “You’ll find out.”
Trudeau, for his part, explained that Canada is “very concerned about the escalation by Iran,” adding, “We have significant presence in the area,” as Canada leads the NATO mission in Iraq.
Following the meeting between Trump and Trudeau, congressional leaders arrived at the White House at 3:00 p.m. for an hour-long classified briefing on Iran, which was also attended by senior national security figures, including the CIA Director, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is the top US military officer, the acting Defense Secretary, and the Secretary of State.
Afterwards, Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (R, Kentucky) said that they had “a good briefing” and “the administration is engaged in what I would call measured responses.”
House Republican Leader, Kevin McCarthy (California), along with the top Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Armed Services committees, released a statement following the White House meeting that denounced Iran’s “provocation” and called for a “measured response” to the recent Iranian attacks.
Read More: US blames Iran for attacks on tankers in Gulf of Oman
The congressional reaction, however, split along party lines, with Democrats warning against unintended escalation. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, for example, warned against “bumbling into war,” as he called for a “robust open debate,” citing the run-up to the 2003 war in Iraq, as an example to be avoided.
There was, however, a robust congressional debate then. Indeed, Sen. Barack Obama was one of a relatively small number of Congressmen to oppose that war, a decision that then figured prominently in his 2008 presidential campaign.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps used a surface to air missile to bring down the Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk drone. The drone carries a hefty price tag—over $100 million—and is a large aircraft, with a 130 foot wingspan, roughly the same as a Boeing 737. It is unarmed; moves slowly; and flies at very high altitudes—which is its basic protection.
“The fact that the Iranians were able to shoot [the drone] down shows that they have some pretty significant capabilities,” one expert told Time magazine, suggesting that US officials may have been taken unawares.
Although Tehran claimed it had downed the drone over its own territory, US officials were adamant that it had been brought down over international waters. The Pentagon even released a map of the drone’s flight path.