President Trump on Thursday morning said that Iran made a mistake in shooting down a U.S. drone — and he suggested later in the day that he's speaking literally.
After reports that Iran's paramilitary Islamic Republican Guard Corps had shot down a U.S. drone, Trump on Thursday tweeted simply, "Iran made a very big mistake!" He later spoke to reporters in the Oval Office and said that he has "a feeling that it was a mistake made by somebody who shouldn't have been doing what they did." He also said that "I may be wrong and I may be right, but I'm right a lot."
Asked to clarify if he's suggesting the drone was not shot down intentionally, Trump said he finds it "hard to believe it was intentional," again speculating that it "could have been somebody who was loose and stupid who did it."
Iran had previously said that the U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk violated its airspace as the U.S. called this an "an unprovoked attack," The Associated Press reports.
This drone being brought down came amid escalating tensions with Iran, and when asked Thursday whether members of his administration are pushing for a conflict, Trump denied this, saying that "in many cases, it's the opposite." Asked how the U.S. will respond, Trump said, "you'll find out." Brendan Morrow