President Trump confirmed early Friday that he called off a retaliatory attack on Iran in response to the downing of a U.S. drone “10 minutes before the strike,” saying the number of expected casualties was not “proportionate” to what Tehran did.
In a stunning tweet thread, the president said the U.S. was “cocked & loaded to retaliate” with plans to hit three sites, but he reversed course after asking military leaders about how many would be killed.
“… I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not … proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world,” Trump said. “Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!”
[Snip]
He also took another swipe at his predecessor Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, while claiming sanctions imposed since have weakened the country. He also said more sanctions were added “last night.” Existing sanctions include those covering the country’s banking and energy sectors, restricting countries from importing Iranian oil and companies from doing business with certain Iranian entities.
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Update 5:41am, June 23rd, 2019:
U.S. Drone Iran Shot Down Costs Up to $240 Million: Report
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