Trump confirms calling off strikes against Iran

Iran will respond firmly to any US threat against it, a spokesman of the country’s Foreign Ministry has said after President Donald Trump warned it of “obliteration” if a full-scale conflict would ensue.
Under pressure to respond to the high-stakes incident near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the United States was prepared to hit “3 different sites” on Thursday night but that he scrapped the strikes “10 minutes” before it could happen.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have spiked since Thursday when an Iranian missile destroyed a US surveillance drone. Tehran said the drone was shot down over its territory and Washington said it occurred in international airspace.

Al Jazeera’s Alan Fischer reports.