ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Early this morning, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone, the latest incident as fears of war between Iran and the U.S. escalate. Before we consider what may come next, a quick reminder of the key moments over the past year that brought us to today.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
May 8, 2018 - President Trump pulls the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, an agreement brokered by the Obama administration to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The fact is this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. It didn't bring calm. It didn't bring peace, and it never will.
SHAPIRO: The new American strategy would be, as Trump put it, maximum pressure. That meant reinstating sanctions, which went into effect last November. Here's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the time.
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MIKE POMPEO: I promise you that doing business with Iran in defiance of our sanctions will ultimately be a much more painful business decision than pulling out of Iran entirely.
KELLY: Iran's banking and oil sectors were hit especially hard. Its currency lost 60% of its value in 2018, and its oil exports were cut in half.
SHAPIRO: In April of this year, the U.S. designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization.
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POMPEO: The IRGC masquerades as a legitimate military organization, but none of us should be fooled. It regularly violates the laws of armed conflict. It plans, organizes and executes terror campaigns all around the world.
SHAPIRO: That's Secretary of State Pompeo again shortly after Iran announced it was no longer bound by the Iran deal's limits on its nuclear program.
KELLY: And since then, military tensions have risen.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Two oil tankers have been damaged near Iran's coast. It happened earlier today in the Gulf of Oman near...
KELLY: The Trump administration blamed Iran for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week. In response, the Pentagon announced 1,000 American troops would be sent to the region.
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BRIAN HOOK: The purpose of that is to establish - to restore deterrence against Iranian attacks, which, obviously, have affected freedom of navigation. It's a threat to international trade and shipping.
KELLY: That's Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, speaking with Morning Edition yesterday.
SHAPIRO: And that brings us to today. At 4:05 a.m. Iranian time, the Iranian military shot down an unarmed and unmanned American surveillance drone. Tehran says the drone was flying over Iran's airspace. The Trump administration says it was in international airspace. The question now - how will the U.S. respond? - a question President Trump today was unwilling to answer one way or the other.
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TRUMP: You'll find out. You'll find out. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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