President Donald Trump ordered a military strike on Iranian targets in response to Tehran’s shooting down of a naval surveillance drone before reversing course, according to multiple US media outlets.
The New York Times said Mr Trump approved attacks on targets such as radar and missile installations and that US aircraft were en route when a decision was taken to abort the mission. The Washington Post and ABC News also reported the developments.
President Donald Trump played down the significance of Iran shooting down a US drone over the Gulf, saying he found it “hard to believe” the move was intentional only hours after he had warned that Tehran had made a “very big mistake”.