By Rob Picheta, Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha, Mike Hayes and Elise Hammond, CNN
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has tweeted a timeline of the US drone that was shot down on Thursday by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC).
In his tweet, Zarif said the drone "violated Iranian airspace."
"We've retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down,” he tweeted.
From CNN’s Oren Liebermann
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on “nations who desire peace and security” to support the United States in its position against Iran.
“In the last 24 hours, Iran has intensified its aggression against the United States and the international community. I once again call upon the nations who desire peace and security to support the United States in its efforts against the aggression of Iran,” Netanyahu said in a statement Thursday evening.
Earlier in the week, Netanyahu called on the international community to impose sanctions against Iran if it enriches low-grade uranium beyond the limits allowed in the Iran nuclear deal, which he staunchly opposed.
Next week, Israel will host national security adviser John Bolton and his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, in Jerusalem to discuss Syria and Iran.
Netanyahu tweeted a video message Thursday, saying Iran's actions are "against all of us."
See it:
From CNN's Barbara Starr and Alex Marquardt
The Pentagon is walking a "fine line" focusing on defense and deterrence and keeping anti-Iran political rhetoric out of the internal high-level discussions, a senior US official said.
General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, continued to point out in internal discussions that what to do about Iran is a policy question, the official said. If the policy is a military response, then Dunford is prepared to explain in detail the cost of doing that in every discussion.
The bottom line: The fine line is defend and deter without tipping over into provocation — which is why you see limited numbers of forces going for now.
The official said the military view is this:
National security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have both been briefed in detail on military options for Iran, including how many forces and how long it takes to get them there, the source said. Pompeo was recently told in detail what it would take to go to war against Iran.
A senior White House official told CNN that prior to today, the attacks have been not aimed at US, but “now that changes since it is our stuff...It is a clear escalation."
"Nobody died, but an expensive resource of ours, we don’t have many of, got blown up. We obviously care about that.”
Iranian forces shot down a US military drone today — a move that could escalate an already tense relationship between the two countries.
If you're just catching up on the news, here's what we know so far:
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
President Trump insisted Thursday his hawkish advisers are not leading him into war.
And while he reiterated his view that endless wars need to end, he cast the downing of a US spy drone by Iran as a new provocation.
"We’re pulling a lot of people back but this is a new wrinkle," Trump said, noting decisions to draw down troops in Syria and Afghanistan. "This is a new fly in the ointment, what happened shooting down the drone. And this country will not stand for it, that I can tell you."
Trump has said privately over the past weeks that he is not interested in wading into another foreign conflict. And he's been frustrated in the past that some of his advisers appear to use tougher rhetoric.
But he denied Thursday that any of his team is pushing him toward conflict.
"No, not at all. Not at all. In fact in many cases it's the opposite," he said. "Look, I said I want to get out of these endless wars. I campaigned on that. I want to get out."
The Department of Defense has released a video purporting to show a trail of smoke after the RQ-4A Global Hawk was shot down over the Gulf of Oman.
Watch the video below:
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond
President Trump said Thursday that he believes Iran mistakenly shot down the US drone, saying he finds it "hard to believe it was intentional."
"Probably Iran made a mistake. I would imagine it was a general or somebody who made a mistake in shooting that drone down," Trump said.
"I find it hard to believe it was intentional. I think it could've been somebody that was loose and stupid," Trump said. "It was a very foolish move, that I can tell you."
Trump assured that the situation is "all going to work out."
The President also said that it made a "big, big difference" that the drone — which by definition is unmanned — had "nobody in" it.
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond
President Trump said Thursday that Iran "made a big mistake," saying that the drone was "clearly" flying in international airspace.
"Iran made a big mistake," Trump said. "They made a very bad mistake."
Trump said the US has "scientifically" documented evidence that the drone was in international airspace.
Asked whether the US would respond to the attack or go to war with Iran, Trump said, "You'll find out."
"Obviously, you know, we're not going to be talking too much about it. You'll find out. They made a very big mistake," Trump said.
From CNN's Richard Roth
UN Secretary General António Guterres is “very concerned” about developments in the gulf, including reports of the downing of a US drone by Iran, and “appeals to all sides to exercise maximum restraint,” according to his spokesperson.
In a statement, Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said:
"The Secretary-General is very concerned about developments in the Gulf region, including the reported downing of a United States drone by Iran. He appeals to all sides to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any action that can escalate the already tense situation.
The Secretary-General stresses that the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf region."
