Donald Trump had promised Iranian protesters that “help is on its way” before pulling troops from a key air base and ordering US civilians to evacuate the region. Britain also abruptly closed its embassy in Tehran and withdrew forces from Qatar at short notice. The Telegraph reported.
European sources said they were expecting a US strike “within 24 hours”.
But on Wednesday evening the US president appeared to step back from imminent military action, saying he had been assured that “the killing in Iran is stopping” after the planned execution of Erfan Soltani was cancelled. Iran’s foreign minister has insisted “there is no plan” to hang people.
Mr Trump is understood to have instructed his national security team to proceed only if they could guarantee a decisive blow against the regime.
But they were unable to offer such assurances, warning that military action could spark a wider conflict lasting weeks and provoke a severe Iranian response, officials told NBC.
There are also concerns that Washington lacks sufficient assets in the region to protect its forces and bases from retaliation.
Because of a US military build-up in the Caribbean as part of pressure on Venezuela, America currently has just six warships in the Middle East and no aircraft carrier strike group in place.
