Never been more proud of Trump, great story from CNN on Iran decision

Trump did not tip his hand on which way he was leaning, focusing instead on "drilling down" on the differing perspectives and arguments leveled by the assembled lawmakers, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman James Risch said. But it was clear, the Idaho Republican said, that Trump is a president who "doesn't want to go to war."


"I really watched him agonize over this. It comes down to one man," Risch told a small group of reporters.


"The President was really wrestling with it," House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, a Democrat, said.

Trump's own dilemma was met by a near unanimous national security team who felt the US should retaliate for a downed drone by striking Iranian targets. For the President, though, the answer was far from obvious -- ultimately he pulled the plug on military strikes, minutes before the point of no return.

But a senior US official said throughout the process, Trump was very invested and very serious. He very much understood that the military could not predict for him what the Iranian response to a US strike might be and it remains a significant administration concern not to start a wider war.

The decision to call of the operation minutes before it was set to take place hit at the heart of Trump's concerns about escalating the conflict with Iran into war, one Trump might compare to the war in Iraq which he has frequently criticized.

Aides said Trump appeared wholly comfortable with his decision on Friday, without much second guessing. Instead, he liked the impression that he's bucked the advice of his team, which he has previously criticized in private for appearing to march him toward war.

And while Trump seemed confident on Friday that he had made the right decision and was framing it appropriately -- tweeting out a play-by-play on Twitter before addressing it in the NBC interview

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