Trump says he aborted strike against Iran because it wouldn’t have been ‘proportionate’

President says U.S. forces were ‘cocked & loaded’ to hit targets but he called off operation 10 minutes before strike

President Donald Trump on Friday defended his decision to abort strikes on three Iranian targets involved in shooting down a U.S. military drone, saying U.S. forces were “cocked & loaded,” but the expected 150 deaths would not have been a “proportionate” response.

The New York Times first reported that Trump ordered strikes on Iranian targets but then canceled the mission with U.S. aircraft en route to take out Iranian missile and radar sites.

“We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when 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.”

View the complete June 21 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.

The Trump Administration’s 10 Most Dangerous Actions Concerning Iran

President Donald Trump’s erratic Iran policy has left America more isolated and less safe. In his first week in office, he alienated Iranians by banning them from America. Then he ignored the warnings of the worldnuclear experts, and his own national security team to shred a functioning nuclear agreement. For all Iran’s continued destabilizing behavior, President Trump’s actions have made America the instigator of the current crisis in the eyes of the world. He has ratcheted up tensions with no plan for success.

Even now, there remains a serious risk that Trump and his team will blunder into a preventable and unnecessary war. Trump’s clumsy attempts at diplomacy with Iran are likely to fail—just as they have with North Korea. The chaos is obvious, and productive results are nowhere to be seen.

Below is a list of President Trump’s 10 worst moments regarding Iran.

View the complete May 21 article by Kelly Magsamen, Brian Katulis, Peter Juul and Daniel Benaim on the Center for American Progress website here.