06/24/2019
Trump calls off military strike on Iran
President Donald Trump said he called off a planned military strike against Iranian targets because he didn't believe the expected casualties were "proportionate" to Iranian forces shooting down an unmanned U.S. military drone. He said he'd been told that up to 150 people would die in the military action. U.S. officials said Iran shot down the drone while it was in international airspace above the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran said it was flying over Iranian territory.
■Class discussion: Did President Trump make the right decision? Why or why not? Are we close to war with Iran? How have tensions between the United States and Iran gotten so high? Why did the United States impose economic sanctions on Iran? What impact have they had on Iranians? What has Iran done to worsen tensions? Should we go to war over the loss of an unmanned aircraft? What about shooting down a civilian airliner like the U.S. Navy did in 1988?