President ‘asks for meeting with Ayatollah’ as Tehran shows off debris from downed drone and it emerges Trump ‘approved strikes but pulled back at last minute as planes and warships were in position’

Officials were said to be expecting a strike as late as 7pm on Thursday
But following a Situation Room briefing and amid increasing fears of open conflict Mitch McConnell said ‘measured responses’ would be coming
Those in favor of a military response reportedly included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John R. Bolton and CIA director Gina Haspel
Pentagon officials are said to have warned against escalation
Newly released Pentagon video shows a smoke trail from the downed aircraft
The high-altitude, high-endurance Naval drone was brought down Wednesday
It was denounced as an ‘unprovoked attack’ in international air space by the US
But Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday that parts of the drone had been recovered in Iranian territorial waters
In a letter addressed to the UN Iran called it a ‘dangerous and provocative’ act
President Donald Trump had initially labeled the a missile strike a ‘big mistake’
He then moved to dial tensions down, suggesting it may have been shot in error
Iranian officials said he asked for talks with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
United Airlines, Qantas, Air Frace and KLM have changed flight routes in the Gulf
Tehran released images of the wrecked drone stripped of its internal technolo

Donald Trump has asked for talks with Iran’s Ayatollah after pulling back on strikes at the last minute as warships and jets were poised following an attack on a US drone, according to reports.

Tehran showed off debris of the downed spy plane’s fuselage as reports emerged the president had pulled out of attacking Iran on Thursday evening.

Military and diplomatic officials were said to be expecting a strike as late as 7pm, with planned attacks on radar and missile batteries approved, The New York Times reports.

The paper says multiple senior administration sources confirmed the plans.

Iranian officials stated today Trump had given them a short window to convey an imperative wish for talks to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A source told Reuters: ‘In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran … He gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran’s immediate response was that it is up to [the] Supreme Leader.’

Iran released images of the wrecked drone, stripped of its internal technologies, amid fears over what Tehran and its allies might glean from its workings.

A White House insider told the New York Times planes were in the air and ships were in position when the mission was called off – against the advice Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John R. Bolton and CIA director Gina Haspel.

Iran had earlier released GPS coordinates suggesting the drone was eight miles off its coast. That put the missile within the 12 nautical miles from the shore Iran claims as its territorial waters.

Officials there later said they had ‘indisputable’ evidence the drone violated its airspace.

But the US said it was shot down 21 miles off the Iranian coast, in the Strait of Hormuz.

The president held a Situation Room briefing Thursday evening where his administration are said to have promised a ‘measured’ response to Iran after Washington accused Tehran of shooting down a drone and attacking oil tankers.

Pentagon video released earlier in the day showed a smoke trail from the $180million surveillance aircraft following a missile strike initially slammed by Trump as a ‘big mistake’.

But amid the increasing fears of open conflict, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed to Fox News a ‘measured responses’ would be coming.

Trump, pictured with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, National security adviser John Bolton, center, and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, is said to have approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing a US drone but pulled back last minute

This grainy black and white footage shows the drone as it plummets from the sky

Iran released images purporting to show the fuselage of the wrecked US drone on Friday

A section of the destroyed warplane released by Iran, amid fears over what Tehran and its allies might glean from its inner workings

A section of the spy plane’s fuselage lies on the floor after it was shot down just after 4am local time on Thursday

Debris from the wrecked drone was pictured by Iranian media as Trump asked for talks with the Supreme leader

Iran said it had recovered parts of a US spy drone in its territorial waters, after downing the aircraft in a missile strike slammed by President Donald Trump as a ‘big mistake

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei next to Khordad-3 missile system last month – Trump has reportedly conveyed his demands to speak to the head of state

Those in the Situation Room meeting included CIA Director Haspel, Pompeo and Army Secretary Mark Esper.

Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan was pictured arriving for a meeting with Trump about Iran holding a folder marked ‘SECRET/NOFORN’.

In a statement, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Ranking Members Rep. Michael McCaul, Rep. Devin Nunes and Rep. Mac Thornberry said: ‘There must be a measured response to these actions. President Trump and his national security team remain clear-eyed on the situation and what must be done in response to increased Iranian aggression.

‘In Congress, we stand ready to support our men and women in uniform, our country, and our allies in the region.’

Trump has twice taken military action against targets in the Middle East – in Syria in 2017 and 2018. It is not known why a decision was made to pull back Thursday or what the response going forward will be.

Those in favor of a military response are said to have included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John R. Bolton and CIA director Gina Haspel.

Officials at the Pentagon are said to have warned of escalation and risks for American forces.

It is understood both The White House and Pentagon officials have not commented on the claims.

Following the news 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren tweeted, saying the US ‘needs to step back from the brink of war’.

She wrote: ‘Donald Trump promised to bring our troops home. Instead he has pulled out of a deal that was working and instigated another unnecessary conflict.

‘There is no justification for further escalating this crisis—we need to step back from the brink of war.’

Democrat Chris Murphy said: ‘The place we have arrived at tonight on Iran is Donald Trump’s choice. He chose escalation over diplomacy, without any idea how to get out of the downward spiral he set in motion.’

On Thursday evening the the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency order prohibiting all U.S. flights in over water area of Tehran-controlled airspace above Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

This followed an earlier release by United Airlines that said it had suspended flights between New Jersey’s Newark airport and the Indian financial capital of Mumbai following a safety review.

‘Given current events in Iran, we have conducted a thorough safety and security review of our India service through Iranian airspace and decided to suspend our service between EWR and BOM,’ United said on its website, referring to the airports.

Qantas, Air France and KLM announced later they would also avoid flights through the region.

Earlier Thursday the US suggested the drone – which has a wingspan wider than a Boeing 737 – was shot down 21 miles off the Iranian coast in the Strait of Hormuz.

Lt Gen Joseph Guastella, commander of U.S. Central Command air forces in the region, said: ‘This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset that had not violated Iranian airspace at any time.’

But the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it brought the drone down because it was ‘violating Iranian air space’ over the waters of Hormozgan province.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif provided coordinates to back the claim and said Iran would take the evidence to the United Nations.

‘At 00:14 US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranian airspace,’ Zarif tweeted. ‘It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25°59’43’N 57°02’25’E) near Kouh-e Mobarak.’

‘We’ve retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down.’

Outgoing acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan arrives for a meeting with President Donald Trump about Iran carrying a folder marked secret, at the White House

The US-made surveillance drone was brought down by Iran over the southern coastal province of Hormozgan, the Revolutionary Guard claimed

A handout TV grab made available by Iran state television English service press TV (PTV) reportedly shows Iran’s surface-to-air missile system ‘Khordad-3’ as it launches to shoot down a US surveillance drone

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it brought the drone down as it was ‘violating Iranian air space’ over the waters of Hormozgan province

Central Command finally revealed their location for the drone as administration officials met for the hour long classified briefing with Trump in the situation room.

Under pressure to respond to the high-stakes incident in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where a series of tanker attacks have sent tensions soaring, Trump initially struck a combative tone.

‘Iran made a very big mistake!’ he tweeted in response to news Tehran had shot down the Global Hawk surveillance aircraft, which the Pentagon says was above international waters at the time.

‘This country will not stand for it, that I can tell you,’ he repeated later at the White House.

But as the overnight incident whipped up fears of open conflict between the United States and its declared foe – sending crude oil prices up more than six percent -Trump appeared to move to dial down tensions, later suggesting the drone may have been shot in error.

‘I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,’ Trump said. ‘I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.’

The president’s mixed message left the world unsure what Washington’s next move would be.

‘You will find out,’ Trump said, when asked about possible retaliation.

In Tehran, however, the message came loud and clear.

Late Thursday Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that parts of the drone had been recovered in Iranian territorial waters, as Tehran moved to bring the incident before the United Nations.

‘We don’t seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land and waters,’ Zarif said.

The Pentagon denounced the strike as an ‘unprovoked attack’ in international air space, claiming the navy drone was some 34 kilometers (21 miles) from Iran when destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.

Source:dailymail