U.S.
President, Donald Trump (Photo Credit: Financial Tribune)
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President Donald Trump on Friday said he
backed down on his plan to strike Iran after considering its potential death
toll.
Mr Trump has been furious since Iran shot down
an American spy drone on Thursday. Both countries have disagreed on the
position of the unmanned drone at the time it was shot down.
Iran said the drone was already miles into its
territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. The United States disputed that claim,
saying the drone was about 21 miles away from Iranian territory in the
international waters.
Mr Trump moved to respond
militarily to the incident, issuing approval Thursday night for
urgent strikes on Iranian military assets. Mr Trump subsequently backed down
from the strikes, The New York Times reported late Thursday.
The American president admitted Friday
afternoon that he ordered the strikes, but rescinded the decision after
learning from military chiefs that it would have a devastating death toll.
“We were cocked and loaded to retaliate last
night on three different sights when I asked, how many will die: 150 people,
sir, was the answer from a general,” Mr Trump tweeted, adding that “10 minutes
before the strike I stopped it.”
Mr Trump also vowed to tighten sanctions on
Iran to prevent it from becoming a nuclear power, but said he would take the
matter before the United Nations Security Council in the meantime.
Iranian authorities insisted downing the drone
was appropriate and considered it an external aggression against its
sovereignty.