Iran

"He walked us through his decision and it is chilling to watch 40 seconds of his mind at work," Oliver joked.

"If you're going to look at Saudi Arabia, look at Iran, look at other countries," the president said.

"I'm not looking for war," the president insisted, calling on Iranian leaders to talk with "no preconditions."

"We're not convinced that it was authorized at the highest levels," said the vice president.

"I never called the strike against Iran 'BACK,' as people are incorrectly reporting, I just stopped it from going forward at this time," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump's freewheeling remarks to reporters came after the president made the last-minute decision to call off an approved airstrike on Thursday

"This would be one of the first questions, if not the first question, that a president of the United States would ask his people," Representative Eliot Engel told CNN.

Tensions have heightened between the U.S. and Iran following a string of actions taken by Iran on U.S. assets abroad, and lawmakers waver when it comes to whether or not they should have to approve Trump taking military action in the region.

President Trump sounds as if he is searching for a way out of the trap that the hawks in his administration have set for him. Will he make it out in time?

The decision by the president not to execute a retaliatory operation against Iran only left lawmakers on Capitol Hill feeling more uneasy about the situation.

"So I think there's people that have to be consistent here and be concerned about America's image and our strength," Kilmeade said.

President Donald Trump's former communications director Anthony Scaramucci said his old boss is "way more temperate, way more moderate" than his public image suggests.

"Tonight the president is clearly giving the mullahs an opening to pick up the phone and come clean and end their hostile behavior," Hannity said.

James Clapper also urged caution and dialogue in the wake of the downing of a U.S. drone by the Iranian military.

"At this time we're not going to take any questions, but we're hoping to come back to you guys with some more information later today," the chief Pentagon spokesman said.

"I firmly put responsibility on this administration and the president," California Representative Jackie Speier said.

"The president is listening to the wrong people, and again he's making short-term announcements and decisions on an issue that's a long-term problem," Mark Hertling warned.

"This would be a catastrophe for the region," Putin said.

Wednesday's drone shoot down is the latest in a series of escalations that threaten to push Washington and Tehran into open conflict.

American officials confirmed that a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone was destroyed by Iranian forces while flying over the Strait of Hormuz.

"Wars start sometimes or often by miscalculations and misunderstandings. This is a situation that's ripe for that," Senator Angus King cautioned.

"The U.S. has destabilized security of the international system through unilateralism and extra-terrestrial sanctions," Ali Shamkhani said.

"The entire world recognizes the U.S. as a country reneging on its promises," President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.

The Trump administration is sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the U.S. to avoid taking unilateral actions that have no basis in international law.

"The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces," acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan said.

The Iraqi military's official Security Media Cell reported Monday that "a short time ago, three Katyusha rockets fell on Camp Taji," an Iraqi base where U.S. troops are stationed.

Enriched uranium is required to produce nuclear power, but at a higher level of enrichment it can also be used to build nuclear weapons.

The speaker of the Iranian parliament said the "suspicious" attacks may have been a way for the U.S. to apply more pressure on Tehran.

GOP Senator Tom Cotton said he supports a military strike against Iran in the wake of attacks against commercial oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week.