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The tension has mounted a notch between Washington and Tehran following the destruction of an American military drone "Global Hawk" by Iran. Courtesy Eric Harris / US Air Force / Handout via REUTERS

According to reports from the New York Times, Donald Trump initially approved strikes against Iranian targets before backtracking. Iran warned Friday (June 21st) that it would defend its territory against any attack from the United States after shooting down an American drone.

While the face-to-face between the two enemy countries is feared a conflagration, the daily New York Times , quoting senior US military officials, said the US president had initially approved strikes against " a handful of Iranian targets, like radars and missile batteries , "before turning back.

On Thursday, Iran shot down an American drone it believed was in Iranian airspace. The United States asserts that it was shot down in international airspace. Iranian Foreign Affairs returned on Friday saying it had " irrefutable evidence " that the Global Hawk drone had violated Iran's airspace. The Iranian state media has not published any of these "proofs".

Diplomatic message

In an "emergency" phone call, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a message to Washington through the Swiss ambassador to Tehran, who represents US interests in the absence of relations diplomats between Tehran and Washington since 1980.

Iran "is not looking for war, " said the deputy minister. But he warned " US forces against any reckless action in the region " and said Iran would " resolutely defend its territory against any aggression, " according to a statement from Foreign Affairs.

Prohibited commercial flights

As a precautionary measure, the US Federal Aviation Administration has banned US airlines from flying over Tehran-controlled airspace over the Gulf and Gulf of Oman " until further notice ".

These restrictions were justified by "an increase in military activities and growing political tension in the region, which pose a risk to US civil aviation operations ". The Dutch company KLM followed, saying that its planes would not fly over the strait of Hormuz until further notice.

Despite repeated claims by the United States and Iran that they are not seeking war, escalating and escalating incidents in the region are raising fears that a spark will ignite the powder.

(with AFP)