Washington DC, June 21: United States President Donald Trump has on Thursday ordered military strikes against Iran in response for downing an American spy drone by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but however, pulled back his approval from launching military attacks, state-run media reports
The New York Times, citing senior White House officials, reported an operation by Trump to launch a military attack on a “handful of Iranian targets”, as well as missile batteries and radar, was in “its early stages” when the US president called it off and change tack, according to Al-Jazeera news reports.
According to NYT, citing one senior Trump administration official, said jets were in motion in the air and ships were also in positioned, but no missiles were launched, when Trump ordered to halt his order.
The ABC News and The Washington Post have also reported US development, citing few unnamed White House officials, as well as other sources said to have knowledge with the action. However, the White House is yet to respond over the request for comment.
The IRGC claimed it shot down an American spy drone which it intercepted flying over the nation’s airspace in the southern city of Hormuzgan, according to state-run media reports on Thursday.
As per state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reports, the IRGC has shot down the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk spy drone, after it crossed near the Kouhmobarak in the Iranian airspace.
However, no confirmatory report has been issued yet about the move from the United States, though a US central command spokesperson has insisted “there was no drone over Iranian territory”, according to ANI news reports.
The US has blamed Tehran for the suspected and reported damaged oil tankers attacks near the disputed Strait of Hormuz, leaving one of the vessels ablaze and both adrift.
The US military has on Tuesday released some new images that showed the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) removing unexploded mine from a Japanese-owned oil tanker, following the last week’s two oil tankers attack in the Gulf of Oman.
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- US spy drone shot down near Hormuzgan city: Iran’ IRGC