US president said to have urged Tehran to come to the table, warning of impending military action over drone’s downing; Iranian officials say they conveyed matter to Khamenei
US President Donald Trump on Thursday night urged Iran to come to the table to hold talks in a message conveyed through Oman, and warned that a US strike against the Islamic Republic could be imminent, according to a report Friday morning.
“In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues… he gave a short period of time to get our response, but Iran’s immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader [Ali] Khamenei to decide about this issue,” an unnamed official told Reuters.
Another official said: “We made it clear that the leader is against any talks, but the message will be conveyed to him to make a decision… However, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences.”
The report comes after American officials said the US made preparations for a military strike against Iran in retaliation for the downing of a US surveillance drone, but the operation was abruptly called off with just hours to go.
The official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the targets would have included radars and missile batteries. The New York Times reported that Trump had approved the strikes Thursday night, but then called them off. The newspaper cited anonymous senior administration officials.
The White House on Thursday night declined requests for comment.
Asked earlier in the day about a US response to the attack, Trump said, “You’ll soon find out.”
The swift reversal was a stark reminder of the serious risk of military conflict between US and Iranian forces as the Trump administration combines a “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions with a buildup of American forces in the region. As tensions mounted in recent weeks, there have been growing fears that either side could make a dire miscalculation that led to war.
According to the official who spoke to The Associated Press, the strikes were recommended by the Pentagon and were among the options presented to senior administration officials.
It was unclear how far the preparations had gone, but no shots were fired or missiles launched, the official said.
The military operation was called off around 7:30 p.m. Washington time, after Trump had spent most of Thursday discussing Iran strategy with top national security advisers and congressional leaders.
On Thursday night Israeli security sources told Channel 13 they were concerned a lack of a decisive US response would embolden Iran to become more aggressive.
The downing of the US drone — a huge, unmanned aircraft — over the Strait of Hormuz prompted accusations from the US and Iran about who was the aggressor. Iran insisted the drone violated Iranian airspace; Washington said it had been flying over international waters.
On Friday morning Iran released photos of what it said were the drone’s remains.
Fars News Agency@EnglishFarsTehran Releases Photos of Downed US Drone Debris Retrieved from Iranian Waters
Trump’s initial comments on the attack were succinct. He declared in a tweet that “Iran made a very big mistake!” But he also suggested that shooting down the drone — which has a wingspan wider than a Boeing 737 — was a foolish error rather than an intentional escalation, suggesting he may have been looking for some way to avoid a crisis.
“I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said at the White House. “I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.”
Trump, who has said he wants to avoid war and negotiate with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, cast the shoot-down as “a new wrinkle… a new fly in the ointment.” Yet he also said that “this country will not stand for it, that I can tell you.”
He said the American drone was unarmed and unmanned and “clearly over international waters.” It would have “made a big, big difference” if someone had been inside, he said.
Iran said Friday it had “indisputable” evidence the US drone had violated its airspace.
Iran said Friday it had called in the Swiss ambassador, whose country has represented US interests since the severance of diplomatic relations in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, to issue a formal protest.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi provided the ambassador with “indisputable” evidence that the drone had violated Iranian airspace, the foreign ministry said. Araghchi “reiterated that Iran does not seek a war and conflict in the Persian Gulf,” but warned: “The Islamic Republic of Iran would not hesitate for a moment to decisively defend its territory against any aggression.”
The Trump administration has been putting increasing economic pressure on Iran for more than a year. It reinstated punishing sanctions following Trump’s decision to pull the US out of an international agreement intended to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from earlier sanctions.
The other world powers who remain signed on to the nuclear deal have set a meeting to discuss the US withdrawal and Iran’s announced plans to increase its uranium stockpile for June 28, a date far enough in the future to perhaps allow tensions to cool.
On Thursday, Iran called the sanctions “economic terrorism.”
Citing Iranian threats, the US recently sent an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf region and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already there. All this has raised fears that a miscalculation or further rise in tensions could push the US and Iran into an open conflict 40 years after Tehran’s Islamic Revolution.
@ Laura:
Laura,
I agree with you concerning Tucker Carlson. I did watch the show, long enough to see Carlson talking like an Iranian-sponsored fifth columnist — truly disgusting.
Concerning our president NOT getting re-elected — and at that, not getting re-elected by a landslide, I do not see this coming about. If Iran were to actually “bide its time”, waiting for the President to be ousted, it would bide for a long, long time. There has been a serious attempt at a violent overthrow of the US government. As I write, the leftist Governor of Oregon has ordered the state police to arrest and fine our elected officials for legally preventing the Democrats from enacting a draconian “global warming” tax increase — yet another instance of the leftists trying to forcibly obtain results that they have been denied in the ballot box. These are desperate actions by losers on life support, not the actions of a party with serious chances of winning in 2020.
Without mentioning him by name, Mark Levin tore into Tucker Carlson and his smear campaign against John Bolton.
Tucker Carlson was a one-time Washington insider who wore bow ties. He ditched the bow ties and rebranded himself as a populist/nationalist. Yet this self-proclaimed nationalist takes the side of Iran over our own country and smears the president’s advisors. He won’t attack Trump directly of course, because he would lose his audience.
I didn’t see Tucker’s show, I hardly watch it, but it was obvious who Mark was referring to in the third hour of his show, which coincides with Tucker’s show. Mark was sickened by the fact that these code pink Republicans will attack Bolton but say nothing against the mullahs in Iran. Bolton’s the war monger, not the mullahs according to them. Furthermore they have no idea what Bolton or any other advisor told the president. Mark also compared the smear campaign being done to Bolton to what was done to Kavanaugh, only this time its the isolationists on the right doing it. It’s disgusting
@ Michael S:
This is good. But Iran will bide its time waiting until Trump is out of office. We have to take out their nukes before that happens, one way or another.
President Trump sent a VERY clear message to Iran:
“YOU CAME WITHIN TEN MINUTES OF ANNIHILATION, and were saved by ME”
https://twitter.com/i/status/1142157838153895941
When did acting weak, indecisive and failing to respond to an enemy attack become a positive trait to be praised by conservatives? I remember when projecting strength abroad was the ideal, and conservatives loathed Jimmy Carter for being weak and voted in Reagan as a result. There’s no chance that Reagan would be accepted by today’s “conservative” movement. In fact they would slam him as a war monger.
@ Bear Klein:
I agree. But its not going to happen.
@ Laura:
Laura I am not saying it will or will not happen. I am saying the only thing that will stop Iran is blowing up their military capabilities.
The whole timing of Trump diplomatic action, was obviously doomed from the start . Once Trump had withdrawn from the JCPOA , Iran had a better stance to show it was reacting to unilateral threat and was ” victim” of sanctions – In additio Trump also shown very quickly his one and only aim ” to be reelected ” which prohibits him to go further militarily vs Iran . Then Iran had a free road to increase its military operations . After the attacks of the 4 tankers Iran has steeped up its agressive stance and even the downing of a 130 M.$ drone does not create a casus belli . The backpedaling of Trump is really a show of weakness . Trump has blinked , the Pentagone has shown a weak strategy , the RINO have acted as empty suits . Even the Pentagone has unveiled its targets were very limited ( reminds of the failed Mc Namara gradual escalation in Vietnam ). Waste of time and degrading of US deterrence , now just another paper tiger . Reagan wouldn’t have hesitated one minute after the downing of the US drone .
@ Bear Klein:
This is never going to happen. Not with this administration and certainly not if a democrat gets in. Trump is being pressured by the isolationists within his own party to stand down. If he won’t even take measured military action in response to Iran’s attack on our drone, what makes you possibly think he will do what you suggest? My take is that Trump will continue with sanctions, Iran pretends to cave and come to the negotiating table and a deal is made. We will be right back to where we were after Obama’s Iran deal. Although President Trump will pretend this is somehow a far better deal that he made. Meanwhile Iran goes on its merry way developing nuclear weapons and there’s not a damn thing that will be done unless Israel does so herself.
One way to stop Iran from getting Nukes and spreading terror. Destroy the Mullah Regime. Sanctions will not work and threats certainly will not work.
To do this the IRGC needs to be seriously attacked, missile sites, command control sites plus nuclear facilities all destroyed. The estimate is to do this would take about 2 weeks of serious attacks by multiple US carrier groups plus the other available assets they have such as B52s and F22s.
I hate to say this, but the president is looking weak and indecisive. I hope he had a good reason for calling off the strike. And why is he publicly admitting to pulling back? It looks bad. I hope the code pink Republicans didn’t have an impact on his decision. He’s looking worse than Obama.
I really can’t stand Mike Lee. What a disappointment. He, along with crazy Bernie Sanders and the rest of the left along with the isolationist wing of the Republican party are emboldening Iran. Reagan had the GOP with him when he took a stand against our enemies. We now have a different Republican party with a growing dangerous, short-sighted isolationist wing which blames America first. How is the president supposed to conduct foreign policy when he is being undermined this way? Iran is dangerous and they are developing nuclear weapons and bombing oil rigs and we have clowns like Lee and Sanders attacking the Trump administration.. We can’t allow Iran to control international shipping lanes. Such isolationism in the 30’s brought us WW2.. People learn nothing from history.
It is good to know the Pentagon recommended retaliation…