This IS. fast breaking story….
It IS gonna pivot on two things….
The US definition of international airspace vs Iranian airspace…
(US Central command says 34 miles form Iranian land in the strait of Hormuz)
And?
Donald Trump’s taste for a military campaign against Iran….
His senior political national security people ARE pushing for a hard beatdown of Iran…
The Drone US Navy RQ-4 we are talking about is a high altitude one of the biggest class in the American military…
The shoot down will play well for the Iranian military domestically….
The Iranian politicans have to be careful….
Iran shot down a United States surveillance drone early Thursday, both nations said, but they differed on the crucial issue of whether the aircraft had violated Iranian airspace, in the latest escalation of tensions that have raised fears of war between the two countries.
Iranian officials said the drone was over Iran, which the American military denied — an important distinction in determining who was at fault — and each side accused the other of being the aggressor.
Both said the downing occurred at 4:05 a.m. Iranian time on Thursday, or 7:35 p.m. on Wednesday in Washington. The drone “was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system while operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz,” the United States Central Command said in a statement. “This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace.”
An Iranian attack on an American aircraft — even an unmanned drone — is another flash-point added to the growing list of recent clashes between Iran and the United States.
It comes just days after American officials blamed Iran for recent attacks on foreign shipping tankers that also took place near the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway for much of the world’s oil, an accusation that Iran has denied.
In Washington, the White House was concerned enough by early reports of the strike that senior officials were summoned Wednesday evening to discuss the matter. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokeswoman, told news outlets that the president had been briefed on the missile attack and that the administration was monitoring the situation….
Note….
This the ‘three o’clock’ phone call moment for Donald Trump….
He is NOT grabbing this with his own two hands….
The military is actually running this withTrump hawkish staff….
Note….
The BIG question for the US Military people is that John Bolton’s wanting to overthrown the Iranian leadership….THAT would be a rerun of Iraq and Afghanistan…America pushed into a shooting war AGAINST Iran would spread throughout the Middle East and probably the war….Including America…
Iran is isn’t a third world country….
Russia would be expected to support Iran….
image….theworldwar.com
This of course gives Trump an issue that ‘trump’s’ Donald Trump’s political problems back home….
Starting a Middle Eastern war–maybe CG will now consider Trump a “real Republican”.
Donald Trump does NOT want a ‘war’ with Iran….
Bolton IS trying to push him into one …
something tells me that the store was a at sometime a bit closer to Iran then the 30 or so mikes advertised…
this wa the Iranian military
the drone flys at 40,000 feet…
this was no Mickey Mouse action…
Trump is moving VERY cautiously….
I didn’t consider Obama a Republican when he took military action in the Middle East, even if I agreed with it.
With hard-line factions driving both the U.S. and Iranian governments towards war, this could turn hot and ugly very soon.
Donald Trump Has indicated over and OVER he does NOT want a war..
but his effort to try to get the Iranians to the table to talk is a failure just like with North Korea and Chins…
the question is going to be at what point does he put his foot down and Bolton
The question then becomes,if he was so set on not wanting war,why would he choose as a National Security Advisor one of the best known hawks in the country ,John Bolton.
Maybe Lindsay Graham told him to do it while they were playing golf.
Yeah Trump can no longer be considered the “different kind of Republican” who is opposed to the US entering “stupid wars”
When John Bolton is your Natl Sec Advisor and you are threatening war with Iran–you are a full fledged Republican chickenhawk!
I don’t think we are going to war/war but quite possibly might it be that Iran are actually the bad guys (despite the overwhelming desire to pretend Obama fixed something for his “legacy”) and after these actions any President or any Administration would be in the position of having to defend our national security and the interests of the U.S.
Let’s hope the Administration does the right thing. Polls for everyone should not be paramount.
What exactly is the “right thing?”
Heck if I know, but we cannot let them take advantage of us. Probably some sort of limited air attack might be warranted to see if they get the message and change their behavior.
I know the fear for Democrats is that it would cause a temporary increase in Trump’s poll numbers.
Or a permanent loss of life.
Hopefully, of mostly, if not all, the bad guys.
Every President in recent times have faced these tough decisions.
Bill Clinton and Barack Obama certainly decided to start military endeavors in the Middle East in defense of the U.S. Despite my partisanship, I supported those efforts.
Very simply, if Hillary were President, and Iran caused this incident on the seas and then illegally shot down a U.S. drone, she would be looking for the appropriate response to, including a military one.
Frankly, at times like this, considering the left-wing Daily Kos foreign policy Trump ran on and which so-called conservatives capitulated themselves to, I would rather Hillary be President.
That’s no answer.
Once again, what is the “right thing?”
You said it.
Come on tell us.
John McCain would probably know best.
Remember, you Democrat types and I have come to common cause that John McCain was a hero and patriot and would be immensely more worthy of the Presidency than DJT.
So, how did that song go….
In all seriousness, if I was entrusted with the full amount of classified information and the advice of military commanders and experts, I would probably be able to reach a much better conclusion as to a reaction than I can come with sitting at my desk here.
Surely, you all wish it were me instead of Trump right?
Or maybe not after all…?
CG?
Iran has seemed to influence the Middle East for centuries….
The quest is for power and religious domance…
let us NOT forget the America regime change that came back to bit us in the ass on Jimmy Carter’s watch…
John Bolton could only work for someone as stupid about history as Donald J. Trump….
Again?
Trump wants no part of any war anyplace it appears …
He will have these headaches until Bolton goes on unemployment