Small Wars Journal

Trump Bucked National-Security Aides on Proposed Iran Attack

Sun, 06/23/2019 - 12:46am

Trump Bucked National-Security Aides on Proposed Iran Attack by Michael C. Bender and Gordon Lubold – Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON - President Trump bucked most of his top national-security advisers by abandoning retaliatory strikes in Iran on Thursday. In private conversations Friday, Mr. Trump reveled in his judgment, certain about his decision to call off the attacks while speaking of his administration as if removed from the center of it.

“These people want to push us into a war, and it’s so disgusting,” Mr. Trump told one confidant about his own inner circle of advisers. “We don’t need any more wars.”

In these conversations, Mr. Trump bemoaned the costs of a drone shot down by Iran—about $130 million before research and development—but told people the dollar figure would resonate less with U.S. voters than the potential casualties. The president has said estimates provided to him showed as many as 150 people could have been killed. He noted to confidants that each one of those Iranians had families, which would mean that hundreds more would be affected…

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