Comment: It's really looking like Iran has Trump cornered, which might explain why he has been backing off the rhetoric since the Gulf of Oman tanker attacks. Hesameddin Ashena, and adviser to Rouhani, offered the following message via Twitter:

Hesameddin Ashena tweeted that war and boycotts are two sides of the same coin, and that the US should think twice about sanctions if it doesn't want a war.

War and boycott are two on one coin and along with the continuation of sanctions that are demanding or unintentionally moving towards the war. So if you don't want a war, you should be thinking about sanctions.

Comment: Apparently the aircraft and warships were already in position and ready to fire when Trump called off the attack.

The decision to launch 'limited' military strikes on Iran was all but a done deal up to 7pm EST, when Trump withdrew his approval from the already unravelling operation, the New York Times reported on Thursday night, followed by ABC News and AP, also citing US officials aware of the internal discussions.

The military planes and vessels were already scrambled and were waiting for the go-ahead from Washington.

The media reports indicate that Trump was talked out of striking Iran while meeting with national security aides and congressional leaders prior to the proposed strike.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who was present at the meeting with Trump, said lawmakers urged him to avoid further escalation, warning of "unintended consequences" from inflaming the standoff.

"The president certainly listened to what we had to say," Schiff told AP.

But some doubt the truthfulness of this narrative:


Trump had already been playing down the downing of the drone, calling it unintentional and relatively minor. So there are several possibilities: the hawks planned and pushed for the strike (with or without initially convincing Trump, who finally decided to abandon the idea), the strike was planned as a bit of political theater a la the strikes on Syria in previous years complete with warnings to the Iranians in order to avoid further escalation and retaliation (which the Iranians may have rejected).

Sputnik reports:

A pair of US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers, each capable of carrying up to tens of thousands of kilograms of munitions, including long-range cruise missiles and nuclear bombs, flew over the Persian Gulf on Friday morning following Iran's shooting down of a US reconnaissance drone a day earlier, radar data posted by flight monitoring resources has revealed.

The bombers, flying out of the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha, Qatar and going by the call signs GRIMM21 and GRIMM23, were reported active over the Gulf soon after President Trump told reporters that Iran and the world would soon "find out" how the US would respond.

The strategic bombers were reportedly being escorted by four F-15C Eagle fighter jets.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister gave this assessment of the current situation:

"I will not give estimates of what was really happening over the recent hours in this context, but the information that we have shows absolutely clearly that the situation is extremely dangerous. I would call this balancing on the brink of war ... Most 'fires' in the Middle East were sparked by Washington's 'arsonist' policies. There still is a risk of conflict, and we call on responsible players again - if there are any responsible players left in Washington - to assess the possible consequences. We warn them against hasty steps", Ryabkov told reporters.

This report suggests what many already suspect, that Bolton is the one pushing hardest for Trump to go full Neocon on Iran:

US President Donald Trump is currently engaged in a debate with National Security Adviser John Bolton over how to deal with the Iran issue, a senior White House official has told CNN.

The official reportedly said that in the Iran debate between Trump and Bolton, officials such as Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence and incoming acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper play the role of "swing votes".
...
The President reminded reporters in the Oval Office that "I want to get out of these endless wars. I campaign on that."

His tempered remarks were in sharp contrast to positions voiced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and particularly harsh warnings of John Bolton and other senior security aides.

CNN learned from a senior diplomatic source that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acts as "a triangulator" between Donald Trump and John Bolton on the Iran issue.

"From what we've seen, Pompeo has made an effort to be a sort of triangulator between Bolton's well-known views and the President -- somewhere in between," the diplomatic source said.

But judging from his public statements, it seems Pompeo is more in the Bolton camp than the Trump camp. Trump watches Tucker Carlson. Maybe Carlson is the one Trump is really listening to:


Along the same lines, Abdel Bari Atwan warns:

Even if there is no direct US attack, the Iranians will not simply sit back and wait to be starved into submission by Trump's embargo and halting of their oil exports. That is another thing the US president does not understand. And he may never understand it until he sees the extent of their retaliation against his country's forces, warships and bases, and his allies' cities, airports, and power and desalination plants.

That last bit is in reference to a missile strike on a Saudi desalination plant, allegedly originating from Yemen.

Comment: As has been the case throughout the Trump administration competing factions are pursuing different agendas. It's notable that, since these statements, a US drone flying over Iranian territory with its tracking system turned off, in violation of international regulations, was shot down by Iran, and Trump responded:

Amid disputes over the authenticity of reports that Iran shot down a US drone, US President Donald Trump tweeted early Thursday with a clear message: "Iran made a very big mistake!"

[...]Asked if the US was considering a retaliatory strike, Trump told reporters at the White House, "You'll soon find out."

"I have a feeling... that it was a mistake made by somebody who shouldn't have been doing what they did," Trump said about the incident, speaking after a meeting with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

Meanwhile war-hawk John Bolton is on his way to Israel to learn what he should do next.

See also:

• Why the United States will not attack Iran
• False-Flag Empire: Oil Tanker Attacks in The Gulf Have US Fingerprints All Over Them

Comment: See also:

• Modi-Xi-Putin Meeting at SCO Summit Vital For Re-Shaping the World Order
• Pakistan-India showdown: What you're not being told