The Trump administration has reportedly launched cyberattacks against Iran and is announcing a new wave of sanctions today. This comes days after President Trump abruptly called off military strikes against Iran. Trump said he called off the attack after he was told it could kill 150 Iranians. Trump and members of his administration said they would be open to holding negotiations with Iranian leadership, but Iran has said they will not negotiate as long as sanctions are still active.
Meanwhile, an Iranian news outlet reported that the country’s naval chief is warning it will shoot down more U.S. drones after the disputed downing of a surveillance drone last week that Iran says entered its airspace, while the U.S. claimed it was flying over international territory.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Chuck Todd asked Trump whether he felt he was being pushed into military action by his advisers.
President Donald Trump: “I have two groups of people: I have doves, and I have hawks.”
Chuck Todd: “You have some serious hawks.”
President Donald Trump: “I have some hawks. Yeah, John Bolton is absolutely a hawk. If it was up to him, he’d take on the whole world at one time, OK? But that doesn’t matter, because I want both sides.”