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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

How in the heck can “porportionate” enter into this situation. Iran is poking a far bigger opponent who swings a huge stick. U S taxpayers pay for a fantastic military capability that must be used to end activity such as this once and for all!!


121 posted on 06/21/2019 9:08:04 AM PDT by Demanwideplan
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To: jimwatx

Iran can send a freight there with a bomb or attack assets in Europe or the middle east as they do now.

Also, you may not realize Israel is an ALLY. That used to mean something when we had honor and determination. How even conservatives pee in their loans at the thought of stopping the worst supporter of terrorism in the world.


122 posted on 06/21/2019 9:09:41 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: BeauBo

Dems and RINOs try to make sure that the appropriations are “targeted” for something other than border/immigration security.


123 posted on 06/21/2019 9:10:45 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Mozart tells you what it's like to be human. Bach tells you what it's like to be the universe)
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To: jimwatx

Since our guys were gearing up for a counter strike, I think sitting vulnerable dead in the water to collect debris just outside 12 miles of Iran with Iranian gun boats probably looking for confrontation about, would not be the first priority. Second, finding some fragments drifting on the surface after the event wouldn’t be difficult, and they can drift into their waters by currents, or they could all be faked anyway. Having done lots of FONOPS in my earlier navy days, I am going to believe the Navy when it says the drone was legally in international airspace.


124 posted on 06/21/2019 9:12:09 AM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them.)
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To: morphing libertarian

The next democrat president will just give them the bomb.


125 posted on 06/21/2019 9:14:06 AM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them.)
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To: Alberta's Child

Exactly right. Iran isn’t doing this on their own.


126 posted on 06/21/2019 9:20:01 AM PDT by dowcaet
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To: GOPJ; DoughtyOne

Suppose there was a way for US cyber ops to control the image and info displayed to Iran’s air defense system. If “we” wanted a full blown war we would display a US manned aircraft outside Iran as an unmanned drone inside Iran. But displaying a drone outside Iran as a drone inside Iran would cause it to be attacked, and the US would have some options.


127 posted on 06/21/2019 9:22:20 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Mozart tells you what it's like to be human. Bach tells you what it's like to be the universe)
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To: gspurlock
The important message here is to the Iranian people, we care more about you than your mullahs do. . .think about it.

An appropriate response would be to take out the leadership, those who give the orders.

128 posted on 06/21/2019 9:26:01 AM PDT by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Build the Wall Faster! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: TroutGuy

“Bomb some unmanned facility worth 250 million dollars if you’re worried about casualties being disproportionate.”

Take out one active oil rig.


129 posted on 06/21/2019 9:27:02 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Trump is President and CEO of America, Inc.)
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To: Magnum44

zaklee


130 posted on 06/21/2019 9:29:21 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: morphing libertarian

Trump is doing what has to be done instead of leaving it for the future. Sanctions are crushing the mullahs so hard and are such a threat to their control, that they prefer to have bombs dropped on their country instead.


131 posted on 06/21/2019 9:29:42 AM PDT by PUGACHEV
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

You suspect some of the newer UFO sightings are a ‘vaporware’ weapon? You might be right. And yeah, it would give us more options.


132 posted on 06/21/2019 9:30:52 AM PDT by GOPJ (The press whores for democrats... Biden with white supremists? Biden was with fellow democrats.)
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To: morphing libertarian
Also, you may not realize Israel is an ALLY. That used to mean something when we had honor and determination

Some ally, we give them $5 billion a year, and they reward us with their relentless spying, selling secrets to Russia, selling tech to China.

China Is Spying On Israel to Steal U.S. Secrets

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/24/china-and-russia-are-spying-on-israel-to-steal-u-s-secrets-putin-netanyahu-xi-haifa-ashdod-iai-elbit/

US accuses Israel of ‘alarming, even terrifying’ levels of spying

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-accuses-israel-of-alarming-even-terrifying-levels-of-spying-9341264.html

Israel Won't Stop Spying on the U.S.

https://www.newsweek.com/israel-wont-stop-spying-us-249757

133 posted on 06/21/2019 9:34:34 AM PDT by jimwatx
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To: jimwatx

so we pull back from Israel. Good stuff. you don’t have alchemy as to the big picture in the middle east. Given some of the presidents we have had, i would spy on us too were I Israel.


134 posted on 06/21/2019 9:38:49 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

we have been here before people in the street in teheran and then it dissolves.

We should attack Iran because they attack and threaten us and are developing weapons to carry out the threat. That’s the reason. When they have the bomb and ICBMs you’ll still be waiting for the revolution.


135 posted on 06/21/2019 9:41:04 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: morphing libertarian

I am Iraned out. Someone take the last word.


136 posted on 06/21/2019 9:41:46 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: ClearCase_guy

There is a fine line between deterrence and vengeance. You cannot have both.


137 posted on 06/21/2019 9:45:13 AM PDT by justa-hairyape (The user name is sarcastic. Although at times it may not appear that way.)
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To: morphing libertarian
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.

This is exactly why U.S. military action should be RARE, not as pathetically commonplace it has become.

Our system of government with its frequent transitions of power is simply not set up to engage in the kind of long-term idiocy that has become the norm in these foreign entanglements.

Further complicating all this is that we allow foreign interests to lobby our government buy our political leaders, so our "foreign/military interests" usually coincide with the interests of whichever country is more successful in buying Congress and the White House.

138 posted on 06/21/2019 9:46:46 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." -- Frederick Douglass)
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To: House Atreides

I had a dream about Trump last night. Mainly it was him as a strong father figure with big shoulders and he would make sure everything was ok.


139 posted on 06/21/2019 9:46:49 AM PDT by bgill
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To: morphing libertarian
you don’t have alchemy as to the big picture in the middle east.

Oh I get the big picture all right, it's just that my perspective is one of American interests first, not Israel (or Saudi)interests first.

140 posted on 06/21/2019 9:47:25 AM PDT by jimwatx
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