U.S. prepped for strikes on Iran before approval was withdrawn

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and DEB RIECHMANN
WASHINGTON — The United States abruptly called off preparations for a military strike against Iran over the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, a U.S. official said, while Iran claimed Friday it had issued several warnings before shooting down the drone over what it said was Iranian territory.
The Trump administration offered no immediate public account of the thinking behind the last-minute halt in U.S. preparations for retaliation, amid sharply esc