Trump calls off Iran strikes planned for Thursday night

President Donald Trump announced on June 21, 2019, that he had called off planned retaliatory strikes against Iran. The decision came after Iran shot down a U.S. drone earlier that week. Trump stated in a series of tweets that the strikes were "proportionate" to the downing of the drone and that he had "greatly" appreciated the de-escalation from Iran. He indicated that the U.S. was "cocked & loaded" to strike three different sites in Iran, but he halted the action just 10 minutes before it was to commence. The President cited that the strikes would have killed "approximately 150 Iranians" and that he did not want to see "150 more" casualties. He suggested that "things" were moving in the "right direction" with Iran, implying that diplomatic channels were making progress. This decision marked a significant moment in the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran following the drone incident.