Trump says he called off attack on Iran 10 minutes before launch

President Trump said he stopped a planned U.S. military strike against Iran 10 minutes before it was to be launched Thursday night because the likely Iranian casualties were “not proportionate” to Tehran’s shooting down of an unmanned Navy drone.

“We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die,” Mr. Trump tweeted Friday, adding that a general told him 150 people would likely be killed.

“10 minutes before the strike I stopped it,” the president said. “I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world.”

Iranian forces shot down the unmanned U.S. Navy surveillance drone earlier this week in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping channel bordering Iran. There were no U.S. casualties in the incident, and Mr. Trump said the attack that the U.S. had prepared to launch Thursday night was “not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone.”

The president said he added more sanctions against Iran Thursday night, without elaborating.

“Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!” he tweeted.

On Thursday, as he met with congressional leaders about a possible military response to Iran’s actions, Mr. Trump vowed, “This country will not stand for it. They made a very bad mistake.”But he also appeared to be leaning against a robust military response, saying the drone shoot-down might have been the action of a “loose and stupid” rogue Iranian military official. He said it was probably unintentional.

Iran has since said it warned the U.S. several times before shooting down the drone.

Mr. Trump insisted Friday that Iran is in much worse shape since he pulled the U.S. out of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Tehran and imposed heavy economic sanctions on the country.