President Donald Trump has abruptly called off military strikes against Iran after previously approving the strikes in retaliation for Iran shooting down a US military drone.
The operation was already underway in its initial stages, with ships in position and planes in the air, but no missiles had been fired when the order to call off the strike came from the white house.
The strike had been scheduled for just before dawn on Friday in Iran to minimize the risk to civilians and the Iranian military, before it was called off.
The United States remains locked in a standoff with Iran, with US military or diplomatic responses having the potential to provoke further escalation from Tehran.
