President Trump, in what could be his best trolling yet, shared what appears to be a photo from an intelligence briefing showing the aftermath of a failed satellite launch in Iran:
The United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran. I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what happened at Site One. pic.twitter.com/z0iDj2L0Y3
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2019
According to media reports, this photo was included in his intelligence briefing earlier today:
A U.S. defense official told CNBC that the picture in Trump’s tweet, which appeared to be a snapshot of a physical copy of the satellite image, was included in a Friday intelligence briefing. https://t.co/9d8Q3VN8GP
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 30, 2019
Now, did the photo come from a satellite?
The image in this tweet appears to come from a satellite operated by the U.S. intelligence community, a U.S. official tells @barbarastarrcnn. The official noted the U.S. wouldn't send any drone or manned aircraft into Iranian airspace. https://t.co/YIbYRhmzkc
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 30, 2019
Or did a drone or spyplane snap the photo:
@mhanham suggests this ain’t no satellite shot, which would be even more amazing. https://t.co/UquVwfxSGT
— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) August 30, 2019
Right. It wouldn't surprise me though it the U.S. has satellites with this capability, more surprising that POTUS would tweet it out.
— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) August 30, 2019
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As you might expect, the president is under fire for sharing such a sensitive photo:
Some experts think the image of the Iranian launch pad Trump tweeted may have been taken by an aircraft. If so, Trump revealed more than just a photo. https://t.co/D89z9899i8 by me and @agearan
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) August 30, 2019
"These are closely held national secrets," Panda adds. "We don't even share a lot of this kind of imagery with our closest allies." via @NPR https://t.co/eeU0wJJJ1Q
— Jeff Stensland (@JeffStensland) August 30, 2019
The picture in Trump’s Tweet, which appeared to be a snapshot of a physical copy of the satellite image, was included in a Friday intel briefing.
"He’s not supposed to share it." “This will have global repercussions. The utter carelessness… So reckless.”https://t.co/ZEJreTSwOo— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) August 30, 2019
President Trump told reporters before leaving for Camp David that he had the right to release the photo:
Trump says he had the right to release the photo that he tweeted about Iran pic.twitter.com/EbenddQH3r
— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) August 30, 2019
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