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Tensions between the US and Iran have been escalating in recent days.
Here’s a look at the most recent developments in the two nations’ relationships:
There is no indication the United States has been talking to Iran, even through a backchannel, a senior diplomatic source from a US ally told CNN.
The source was also critical of US tactics regarding Iran leading up to the latest incident involving the shootdown of a US drone.
While Washington says the goal is to re-establish deterrence on Iran, the source said “re-establishment of deterrence is escalation.?US actions brought us where we are today.?Yet, meanwhile, the Iranians keep hearing Trump saying he doesn’t want war.?So they’ll keep going right up to what they feel is the current line.”
President Trump described in more detail his decision to pull back strikes on Iran, saying he didn’t feel an attack that left 150 dead was proportionate to the downing of a US drone.?
Trump said planes were not in the air when he ordered the pull back, but “would have been pretty soon.”
“Things would have happened to a point where you would not turn back, you could not turn back,” he said.
Trump said he asked his national security officials how many would be killed if he went forward, and was given an approximate figure of 150.
?“I thought about it for a second and I said, you know what, they shot down an unmanned drone, plane, whatever you want to call it, and here we are sitting with a 150 dead people that would have taken place probably within a half an hour after I said go ahead, and I didn’t like it, I didn’t think, I didn’t think it was proportionate,” Trump said.
The call not go forward with the strike was made between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, a separate senior administration official said.
The source said key players in the decision were not all?huddled in the Situation Room. Some White House officials involved weren’t physically in?the White House and Department of Defense officials were at the Pentagon.?
The source said while President Trump had received the risk assessment before the strike, “he made the call when he internalized the severity of casualties.”?
Once they had almost reached the trigger point, the President made the final call.
Behind the decision: The source said just because the administration didn’t follow through with the strike, that doesn’t mean there still won’t be a response.
There?was unanimity on the strike, led by national security adviser Bolton. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were also in agreement. Other officials agreed that there needed to be some kind of response. The source made clear that officials still believe a response is needed and that is what they are considering today. There were different responses presented and different voices about whether the strike was the right response.
Some Democrats running for President have started weighing in on the escalating tensions in Iran and President Trump’s decision to call off a strike against the nation.
Here’s a look at where some of the 2020 contenders stand:
There was a P-8 surveillance aircraft?operating in the area at the time Iran shot down a RQ-4 yesterday, a US official tells CNN.
The plane was in international airspace, the official said.
According to the US Navy, the P-8 aircraft is configured to carry a crew of 9 people.
What this is all about: Earlier today, Iran said there was a US plane flying near the downed RQ-4 drone, but they refrained from targeting it, according to Iran’s commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
“While we were tracking the spy drone there was also a P-8 spy plane with 35 crew on board which we could have shot at, but we did not do so,”?Hajizadeh said.
Note: Hajizadeh said the plane was carrying a crew of 35 people — far more than the 9 the P-8 is configured to carry.
President Trump is tweeting about his decision to stop an operation to strike Iran last night.
“We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die,” he tweeted. “150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone.”
Here’s his full thread:
Tensions have been escalating between the US and Iran. If you’re just getting caught up, here’s what you need to know:
Dubai-based airline Emirates it is re-routing all flights away from “areas of possible conflict.”
Here’s the company’s statement:
About the area: The?Strait of Hormuz?has been the site of increasing tensions in recent weeks. Two oil tankers?were attacked in the nearby Gulf of Oman last week — something the US has blamed Iran for.
Emirates said the adjustments have “minimally” affected the arrival and departure times of some flights.??
Other airlines — including KLM, Qantas and British Airways — have also announced changes to their operations. The FAA on Thursday night banned US airlines from operating planes over parts of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.?
Here’s a look at the area the FAA is restricting:
Iran said there was a US plane flying in the vicinity of the downed RQ-4 drone — but Iran refrained from targeting it, according to Iran’s commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Hajizadeh went on to say: “Last week the Americans said that Iranian forces had tried to shoot and destroy an American drone. If we wanted to destroy that drone we could have done so at that time.”
The aborted US strikes against Iran on Thursday were meant to target a limited set of Iranian radars and missile batteries, according to a US official with direct knowledge?of the matter.
The strikes were set to begin on Thursday night when the White House called them off, 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 the strikes off, the official said.
The decision to call off the strikes was first reported by the New York Times.
Hojatoleslam Javad Haj Ali Akbari, the Tehran Friday prayer leader,?accused President Donald Trump of making “delusional statements” on Thursday.
“[He] claimed that the American drone was shot down flying over international waters, which proves that not only these gentlemen lack common sense but they all need a lesson in geography,” the prayer leader told Mehr News Agency Friday.
“They should pay attention to the fact the Strait of Hormuz belongs to us and has always been the graveyard of aggressors,” he added.
The US drone shot down Thursday was issued a final warning 10 minutes before it was shot down, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday.
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, the Commander of the Aerospace Force of the IRGC, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said the last warning was issued at 3:55 a.m. local time on Thursday (7:25 p.m. ET on Wednesday) and the drone was shot down at 4:05 a.m. (7:35 p.m. ET).
Hajizadeh told Tasnim that some parts of the drone were recovered from Iranian territorial waters near Kooh Mubarak. He said the drone showed the aggression of the United States.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has released the first images of what it says are pieces of the US drone shot down Thursday, state media outlet IRIB reported Friday.
Iranian officials said the drone had entered the country’s airspace and was targeted after several warnings, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.?
The Deputy of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, Qader Rahim-Zadeh, was quoted by Tasnim as saying:
British Airways is diverting its flights away from the Strait of Hormuz following an escalation of tension in the region, the airline said Friday.
“Our flights continue to operate, using alternative routes,” it said in a statement, adding that the decision was in line with guidance issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The move follows announcements by other airlines including KLM and Qantas, to do the same, all citing safety concerns.
“Our safety and security?team are constantly?liaising?with authorities around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment?into every route we operate,” BA added.
The FAA on Thursday night issued a notice to US airlines prohibiting flight paths over the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf until further notice.?
Here’s a look at the restricted area:
US President Donald Trump has not ruled out a military conflict with Iran.
Just hours before the New York Times reported that Trump approved and subsequently called off strikes against Iran, he was asked by reporters if the US would respond or go to war. “You’ll find out,” the President responded.
US President Donald Trump?and his national security adviser, John Bolton, are engaged in an ongoing debate over how to handle Iran, a senior White House official told CNN.
Trump’s?tempered response?to the incident Thursday stands in stark contrast to harsh warnings from Bolton, who has publicly and repeatedly called for regime change in Tehran in the past.
The official said that in the Iran debate between Trump and Bolton, officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence and incoming acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper play the role of “swing votes.”
US President Donald Trump abruptly called off military strikes against Iran on Thursday night after previously approving the strikes in retaliation for Iran shooting down a US military?drone,?The New York Times reports.
The operation was already underway in its initial stages – ships were in position and planes were in the air – but no missiles had been fired when the order came to stand down, a senior administration official told the Times.
Iran’s?downing of a US drone?earlier Thursday has left the President caught between Republicans demanding a response and congressional Democrats warning that Trump – and the Iran policy hardliners on his national security staff, who welcome the confrontation – could lose control of the situation and lead the US into war.
The Indian Navy is deploying two ships to the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf to protect Indian-flagged vessels.
In a statement on Friday, the Indian Navy said it was deploying the ships Chennai and Sunayna to?“re-assure Indian Flagged Vessels operating/ transiting through Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman following the maritime security incidents in the region.”?
Indian aircraft are also undertaking “aerial surveillance” in the area.
The tense situation is forcing some airlines to suspend flights over the region.
Australian airline Qantas said Friday it was adjusting its flight paths over the Middle East to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman until further notice.
A spokesperson said the changes will affect flights between Australia and London, but added that “the impact on flying time will be negligible.”
Dutch carrier KLM also announced changes to its flights over the region following the shooting down of a US drone Thursday.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has put restrictions on US airlines flying over the Gulf of Oman, amid the increased political tensions in the region.
President Donald Trump?downplayed the dramatic escalation in tensions with Iran Thursday, after the?downing of a US drone?near the Persian Gulf sparked fears that tensions with Tehran could spill over into confrontation.
Calling the shootdown “a new wrinkle, a new fly in the ointment,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he finds it “hard to believe it was intentional.”
Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted that “Iran made a very big mistake,” as he and his national security officials huddled?to weigh possible responses. Some lawmakers called for restraint and others warned Iran should prepare for “severe pain.” Asked if the US would respond or go to war, Trump told reporters: “You’ll find out.”
The Strait of Hormuz has been the site of increasing tensions in recent weeks.
The channel, which is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, links the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.
If the Strait were to be closed because of the threat of ongoing attacks,?it would be a massive blow to the world’s economy.
Passage through the strait is the only way to move oil from Persian Gulf producers to the world’s oceans, and tensions in the area often affect oil prices.
The Strait is actually even narrower than its 21-mile width suggests. The shipping channels that can handle massive supertankers are?only two miles wide?heading in and out of the Gulf, forcing ships to pass through Iranian and Omani territorial waters.
About 22.5 million barrels of oil a day have passed through the Strait of Hormuz on average since the start of 2018, according to Vortexa, an energy analytics firm. That’s roughly 24% of daily global oil production.