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'Not Proportionate': Trump Explains Why He Halted Air Strikes Against Iran
Townhall ^ | 06/21/2019 | Matt Vespa

Posted on 06/21/2019 7:22:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

For some, you could hear the sound of war drums. It was coming. Iran had shot down a surveillance drone in international waters. President Trump did not mince words, saying Iran made a huge mistake, though was cagey about military action. He told the press “you’ll find out” when asked. President Trump has taken action before, firing cruise missiles at an airfield in Syria in 2017 after a horrible chemical weapons attack struck the town of Khan Shaykhun. The airfield was the staging ground. Reports trickled in last night that air strikes were ordered against Iran but were halted by Trump. We didn’t know why, but earlier this morning the president tweeted that he aborted the mission because the retaliatory strikes were not proportionate (via WaPo):

EXCLUSIVE: Iran received message from U.S. President Trump via Oman overnight warning of imminent attack on Iran - Iranian government officials pic.twitter.com/kzV1S1MCHC— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) June 21, 2019

....On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. 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....— 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

President Trump ordered an attack on Iran on Thursday in retaliation for the downing of a surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz but called the operation off just before it was due to occur because it would have caused extensive casualties, he said Friday.

In a series of morning tweets, Trump said he called off strikes on three Iranian sites minutes before they were to be launched because he was informed of the likely loss of life among Iranians.

“We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die,” Trump tweeted. “150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it.”

Such a death toll was “not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone,” Trump wrote, adding: “I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world.



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airstrikes; boltonlosesagain; djibouti; eritrea; hassannasrallah; hezbollah; iran; lebanon; neoconswantedwar; sudan; trump; trumpmiddleeast; trumpsaidnotoneocons; yemen
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To: red-dawg

WTF are you talking about?

Retroactive attacks are not our style.

You should call your doctor if you “war woodie” doesn’t go down after 20 years.


101 posted on 06/21/2019 8:46:40 AM PDT by Vermont Lt (If we get Medicare for all, will we have to show IDs for service?)
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To: TroutGuy

Someone must have a divorce lawyer coming up with the values of things. Yesterday it was 120 million. Today its 250 million.


102 posted on 06/21/2019 8:47:54 AM PDT by Vermont Lt (If we get Medicare for all, will we have to show IDs for service?)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

“The problem with congressional wall funding is not the amount”

What do you believe the real problem is?


103 posted on 06/21/2019 8:48:26 AM PDT by BeauBo
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To: SeekAndFind

I am completely fine with that perspective, President Trump.

Go TRUMP!


104 posted on 06/21/2019 8:50:29 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: central_va
WH "doves" are winning. It’s 1983 all over again.

The biggest "dove" in the White House is Donald J. Trump.

The Democrats have been colluding with Iran to get the U.S. embroiled in a major military campaign over there -- with the specific goal of undermining Trump here at home.

Give President Trump credit on this one. He is very, very astute when it comes to the underlying political game here.

105 posted on 06/21/2019 8:51:16 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." -- Frederick Douglass)
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To: central_va
You want a war on foreign soil, but you want to tariff everything and not encourage companies to offshore work? 🤪
106 posted on 06/21/2019 8:52:06 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: morphing libertarian
Iran has threatened to destroy the US and Israel for the last 40 years. It’s time to take them seriously, not because of what happened this last few weeks but because they are a major threat to us

It's laughable to say Iran is a threat to us, the only threat they pose is a threat to Israeli and Saudi hegemony over the region. Let them duke it out with Iran if they want, why risk American blood and treasure for their benefit? What happened to America first? I'm not interested in us being a b*tch to Saudi and Israeli interests.

107 posted on 06/21/2019 8:57:35 AM PDT by jimwatx
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To: SeekAndFind

all a façade to distract Trump from the real war on the border.


108 posted on 06/21/2019 8:58:38 AM PDT by sheehan (DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS.)
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To: Vermont Lt
Retroactive attacks are not our style.

Dates of interest:

Dec 7, 1941

Aug 6, 1945

Japan is peaceful to this day.

Iran is WAY PAST DUE for an ass kicking.

IMHO.

109 posted on 06/21/2019 8:58:43 AM PDT by red-dawg (Climate change caused the end of the Ice Age. Did man play a part in it?)
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m so proud of President Trump.

Striking Iran would have likely resulted in Iran striking Israel, and then, a full-scale war in the Middle East. And a full-scale war in the Middle East is not worth an unmanned drone, I don’t care how much it cost.


110 posted on 06/21/2019 8:59:57 AM PDT by Southnsoul
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To: morphing libertarian

We agree on the nature of the problem we have with Iran, and the necessity for confrontation. So does Trump who pulled us out of the toothless treaty with Iran that the dish rag Obama signed. We disagree on the best means to achieve our goal, however. We will not win a military confrontation with Iran politically at this point. A war with Iran will weaken Trump, and strengthen the mullahs’ own control over Iran, which is why they are egging is into it. What this tells us is that the status quo with Trump’s sanctions is so intolerable for the mullahs they want war with us instead.


111 posted on 06/21/2019 9:01:33 AM PDT by PUGACHEV
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To: Vermont Lt
"...Yesterday it was 120 million. Today its 250 million..."

I was also wondering about that; it turns out to depend on how you account for the development costs. If you only count the cost to build one then it's $120 million; it you discount the development costs over the actual orders then it's higher. The more you build, the lower the discounted cost per copy.

112 posted on 06/21/2019 9:02:35 AM PDT by budj (combat vet, 2nd of 3 generations)
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To: BeauBo

This is a major strategic shift. Our enemies have grown accustomed to using a strategy of slow military attrition to defeat us politically, since Vietnam.

************

Very profound point.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.


113 posted on 06/21/2019 9:04:13 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: morphing libertarian

In the meantime, there have been numerous very destructive actions to various aspects of the Iranian nuclear efforts. Someone or more likely a combined intellience/covert operation has set them back

We, that is you and me, have no real idea of where the nuclear threat level actually is.


114 posted on 06/21/2019 9:04:16 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12)There were Democrat espionage operations on Republican candidates)
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To: SeekAndFind

The important message here is to the Iranian people, we care more about you than your mullahs do. . .think about it.


115 posted on 06/21/2019 9:04:42 AM PDT by gspurlock (http://www.backyardfence.wordpress.com)
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Well, let’s see.., a retaliatory strike is the norm, but that was canceled. And as Trump doesn’t yield to confrontation, I’m confident the Iranian provocation/attack won’t go unpunished.

I’m also glad to see Trump oppose an obviously hawkish desire for revenge — a factor of his 2016 campaign (but which emphasized unnecessary troop deployments.) Now Trump has everyone guessing.


116 posted on 06/21/2019 9:05:32 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Magnum44
Is it ok for our foes to shoot down drones in International airspace now without fear of repercussions?

If that were in fact true that it was in international waters, why was Iran the one to collect the debris instead of us? If it fell in international waters you can be sure we would have made every effort to collect it to keep the Iranians from inspecting our technology and possibly reverse engineering it.

117 posted on 06/21/2019 9:05:46 AM PDT by jimwatx
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To: ConservativeMind

Honestly some of the people here sound like 5 star keyboard commandos that just want some war porn. I dont care if some of them are decorated veterans, they need to find some other way to get their jollies other than stomping their online feet, praying for war.

Iran DOES needs to stop screwing with our equipment, but taking out 100 people for that would be absurd.


118 posted on 06/21/2019 9:06:00 AM PDT by VanDeKoik
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To: bert

It is about about the threat level now. They clearly have the intent and money to keep developing. It doesn’t matter if they drop a bomb when i’m alive or my grandkids time. The question will be, why were we so weak and hesitant at a time they were easier to stop.


119 posted on 06/21/2019 9:06:24 AM PDT by morphing libertarian ( Use Comey's Report, Indict Hillary now; build Kate's wall. --- Proud Smelly Walmart Deplorable)
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To: PUGACHEV

There is never a good time to do what has to be done. The next president after Trump will be a democrat like Obama who wants to hold hands and sit and talk them out of their fanaticism.


120 posted on 06/21/2019 9:07:58 AM PDT by morphing libertarian ( Use Comey's Report, Indict Hillary now; build Kate's wall. --- Proud Smelly Walmart Deplorable)
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