US Hits Iran with Cyberattack, Launches New Sanctions to Cripple Iran's Economy

WASHINGTON, DC – The US is waging cyberwar on Iran, attacking the regime's military computers to block the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from firing missiles like the one that recently destroyed a US drone.

US officials say US military cyber forces struck Iranian military computer systems on Thursday, crippling IRGC computer systems.

The US is working on several fronts to confront the Islamic regime's dangerous behavior, including a new round of economic sanctions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on the ground in Saudi Arabia and scheduled to make more stops in the Middle East to build support for the Trump administration's efforts to stop Iran. Still, President Trump says he still believes he can be a friend to Iran and is willing to meet with no preconditions.

"You can't have nuclear weapons, and if you want to talk about it, good. Otherwise, you can live in a shattered economy for a long time to come," Trump warned Iran in an interview with Meet the Press.

The president also explained his last-minute decision not to launch retaliatory airstrikes after learning 150 Iranians would be killed in the attack.

"I thought about it for a second, I said, they shot down an unmanned drone, a plane, whatever you want to call it, and here we are sitting with 150 dead people," Trump said. 

Meanwhile, Pompeo says the administration's "maximum pressure" campaign will continue with new sanctions coming Monday.

"I am confident that at the very moment they are ready to truly engage with us, we'll be able to begin these conversations. I'm looking forward to the day," Pompeo told reporters.

But Iran's Navy chief is warning that the regime would shoot down more US drones.

National Security Adviser John Bolton says the US' restraint shouldn't be confused with weakness.

"Neither Iran nor any other hostile actor should mistake US prudence and discretion for weakness," Bolton began. "As President Trump said on Friday, our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go."

Lawmakers on both sides are praising Trump's restraint.

"The president, I think doesn't want us to go to war. He understands that we've spent trillions of dollars on these wars and that we need to have more restraint and focus on home," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told CBN News.

Khanna and other lawmakers want to make sure it stays that way, saying he and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will introduce an amendment to make sure any retaliation against Iran comes through Congress first.