Síntesis informativa - 21 de junio 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Trump Stopped Strike on Iran Because It Was ‘Not Proportionate’
President Trump said Friday morning that the United States military had been “cocked and loaded” for a strike against Iran on Thursday night, but that he called it off with 10 minutes to spare when a general told him that 150 people would likely die in the attack.
The president said in a series of tweets just after 9 a.m. that he was prepared to retaliate against three sites in Iran for that country’s shooting down an American drone, but that he was “in no hurry.” He indicated that the death of 150 Iranians would not be “proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone.”
It was unclear why Mr. Trump would have been getting information about possible casualties so late in the process of launching military action. Such information is typically discussed early in the deliberations between a president and national security officials.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/us/politics/trump-iran-attack.html
Iran Live Updates: Trump Says Military Was ‘Cocked and Loaded’ to Strike
President Trump said that the United States military was prepared to strike Iran, but that he called off the operation when a general told him that the attack would probably kill 150 people.
President Trump said on Thursday that he suspected that an individual in Iran “made a big mistake” in shooting down an American drone.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/world/middleeast/iran-us.html
For Trump, ‘Judgment Time Is Coming’ on How to Respond to Iran
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s tenure as commander in chief came to a dramatic turning point on Thursday night as he found himself torn between his own competing advisers and his own competing instincts, teetering on the edge of military action that could lead to the kind of war he came to office vowing not to wage.
In a volatile day of internal debates and an on-again, off-again strike against Iran, Mr. Trump confronted the essential conflict of his approach to national security. For two and a half years, he has veered between bellicose threats against America’s enemies and promises to get the United States out of the intractable wars of the Middle East. Now he had to choose.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/us/politics/trump-iran.html
Afghan War Casualty Report: June 14-20
At least seven pro-government forces and seven civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the past week. Casualties among pro-government forces and civilians decreased significantly compared to previous weeks. The only mass-casualty incident against Afghan forces occurred in Badakhshan Province, where four pro-government forces were killed. Two pro-government forces were also killed a military operation against the Taliban in Herat Province, where officials claimed that 12 insurgents were killed. There were several Taliban attacks on outposts and bases, but Afghan security forces did not suffer casualties, which may be attributed to the improved arrival time of reinforcements. Airstrikes and commando operations were also accelerated all over the country recently.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-14-20.html
Trump to Officially Nominate Esper as Next Defense Secretary
WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to nominate Mark T. Esper, the secretary of the Army and former West Point classmate of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to be the next defense secretary, administration officials said on Friday.
They said that Mr. Trump would send the nomination to lawmakers on Capitol Hill in the next few days. If confirmed, Mr. Esper, an Army infantryman who fought in the gulf war before becoming a lobbyist for Raytheon, would succeed Jim Mattis, who resigned in Decemberduring a dispute over pulling American troops out of Syria.
Mr. Esper is set to become acting defense secretary on Sunday, following the abrupt resignation of Patrick M. Shanahan, who also was nominated by Mr. Trump to the top Pentagon job. Mr. Shanahan withdrew on Tuesday amid news reports about his 2011 divorce.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/us/politics/mark-esper-defense-secretary-nomination.html
THE GUARDIAN
Donald Trump 'cancelled Iran strikes with planes in the air'
Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down on Thursday night, the New York Times quoted an unnamed official as saying.
US military and diplomatic officials were expecting strikes on a handful of radar and missile sites after the president’s top national security officials and congressional leaders gathered at the White House, the paper said. The military operation was called off around 7.30pm ET (12.30am BST).
AL JAZEERA
Iran-US tensions: All the latest updates
Standoff between Washington and Tehran escalates after Iranian forces shoot down US drone.
Countries across the world appealed for de-escalation, with Russia accusing the US of deliberately stoking tensions with Iran and pushing the situation "to the brink of war". European leaders urged caution as a spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed Trump's decision to pull back from a retaliatory attack.
The head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division said a manned US spy plane was near the drone it shot down but Iran chose not to target it.
Trump confirmed in a series of tweets that he called off retaliatory attacks on three Iranian targets following the downing of the US drone, saying the attacks would not have been a proportionate response.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/iran-tensions-latest-updates-190621103437644.html
Thousands of protesters again hit HK's streets
Demonstrators gather outside legislature calling for China extradition bill withdrawal and city leader's resignation.
Euan McKirdy.- Thousands of people gathered in Hong Kong on Friday calling for the territory's leader to resign and for the government to scrap a controversial extradition bill.
People in Hong Kong have marched in their millions this month to oppose a bill they fear will undermine Hong Kong's judicial independence and tighten China's grip on the semi-autonomous region.
AL MAYADEEN
Irán asegura haber hecho varias advertencias al dron de EE.UU. antes de derribarlo
El embajador iraní ante la ONU, Mayij Tajt Ravanchi, aseguró que se hicieron llegar varias advertencias al dron norteamericano RQ-4 Global Hawk derribado en la madrugada del mismo día, pero que la parte estadounidense las ignoró, por lo que las fuerzas iraníes lanzaron un misil y lo derribaron.
Oposición venezolana recibe dinero del narcotráfico, denuncia presidente de Asamblea Nacional Constituyente
El presidente de la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente (ANC) de Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, denunció que empresarios ligados a la oposición recibieron dinero procedente del narcotráfico para financiar el intento de golpe de Estado del 30 de abril.
Presidente turco utilizará su "buena relación" con Trump para resolver diferendo por compra de los S-400
Erdogan y Trump se reunirán a finales de junio en Japón, al margen de la cumbre del G-20, cuando termina el plazo de Washington para que Ankara renuncie a su sistema ruso antiaéreo S-400 o se restablezcan las sanciones.
Si Turquía no retrocede en la compra al concluir julio, los pilotos turcos que actualmente están entrenados en Estados Unidos serán expulsados del mando de los F-35, dijo Washington.
Trump vetará proyecto de ley para detener la venta de armas a Arabia Saudita
El gobierno del presidente Donald Trump amenazó con vetar un proyecto de ley del Senado para vender armas de Estados Unidos a Arabia Saudita.
Según una declaración presidencial, estas armas "apoyarán la política exterior y los objetivos de seguridad nacional al mejorar la seguridad de un importante estado de estabilidad en el Medio Oriente".
