A military operation to strike Iran in retaliation for the downing of a US drone was set to begin Thursday night when the White House called it off, a US official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN.
The US military targets were a limited set of Iranian radars and missile batteries, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
No US weapons had been launched when the decision was made to call it off.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that the military was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate, but chose to stand down.
....Death to America. I terminated deal, which was not even ratified by Congress, and imposed strong sanctions. They are a much weakened nation today than at the beginning of my Presidency, when they were causing major problems throughout the Middle East. Now they are Bust!....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2019
....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. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2019
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