Donald Trump approved military strikes on Iran in response to the downing of a US drone – but backed out before the launch.

Planes had taken off for retaliatory strikes on targets such as radar and missile batteries, but were stood down before anything was fired, it was claimed.

The US President is understood to have made the decision after an intense debate at the White House involving top national security officials, according to the New York Times.

A guided-missile cruiser. the USS Leyte Gulf, and other military assets have been put on 72-hour standby for a potential attack on Iran, according to Newsweek.

However, he later backed down, going against the advice of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, sources told other media.

It is not known at this stage what caused the president to reverse the action, which would have been his third set of strikes on Middle Eastern targets in office.

The Republican, who recently launched his re-election campaign, had yesterday warned Iran had made 'a very big mistake' after the drone was shot down.

Trump was asked if the US planned a strike against Iran, and replied by saying: "You'll soon find out".

However, he added in a press conference later that he found it "hard to believe" that the drone downing was intentional.

The retaliatory strikes were a response to the shooting of the surveillance an RQ-4 Global Hawk, which Tehran claimed was in its southern airspace.

A single MQ-4C Triton drone is said to cost $182million (£143million), and the spy machines can fly at a ceiling of 50,000ft and a top speed of 331 knots (380mph).

The development came after US President Donald Trump's administration accused Tehran of attacking two tankers in the Gulf last week, and the Pentagon accused Iran of trying to shoot down a Reaper drone in the same area.

The Revolutionary Guard claimed: "It was shot down when it entered Iran's airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in the south."

Brigadier General Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards, warned against any aggression and said the drone's downing carried a "clear message" to Iran's arch-enemy.

He added: "We do not intend to engage in war with any country, but we are completely ready for the war."

The US military said the drone was shot down 17 miles from Iran.

Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US military's Central Command, claimed no US aircraft were flying over Iran.

He said: "Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false. This was an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset in international airspace."

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