President Trump has argued that his decision not to attack Iran was an expression of long-overdue restraint by a nation that has wasted too many lives and dollars overseas. © Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times
New York Times: An Abrupt Move That Stunned Aides: Inside Trump’s Aborted Attack on Iran
WASHINGTON — By the time President Trump met with congressional leaders on the afternoon of June 20, he had already decided to retaliate against Iran for shooting down an American surveillance drone. But for once, he kept his cards close to the vest, soliciting advice rather than doing all of the talking.
“Why don’t you go after the launch sites?” a Republican lawmaker asked.
“Well,” Mr. Trump replied with a hint, “I think you’ll like the decision.”
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But barely three hours later, Mr. Trump had changed his mind. Without consulting his vice president, secretary of state or national security adviser, he reversed himself and, with ships readying missiles and airplanes already in the skies, told the Pentagon to call off the airstrikes with only 10 minutes to go. When Vice President Mike Pence and other officials returned to the White House for what they expected would be a long night of monitoring a military operation, they were stunned to learn the attack was off.
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WNU Editor: There is no public and very little political will in the U.S. to start another war in the Middle East. And U.S. allies are even more reluctant to participate in such a conflict, especially over the shooting down of a drone. President Trump's call on this one was the right one.
3 comments:
I've written on this incident once or twice already. I think it was a test of the Iranians' defensive capabilities. I've read the drone involved was a retired older model taken out of the recycle bin.
The Israelis test Syria's Russian gear 'til they know what they can get away with safely.
Obviously an attack was what the world expected.
Keep'um guessing. It's less messy.
We'll see, but I always liked 'Walk softly and carry a big stick'. I think Iran is going to piss people off so bad that the tide will change and peaceful people will retaliate, that day will be the end of the regime. Limited strikes kind of just keep the fire burning.
Good policy: the aggressor is Iran, period.
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