Trump says Iran appears to be standing down, announces additional sanctions after missile strikes
President Trump addresses the nation after Iran's retaliatory missile strikes against U.S. forces in Iraq.
The Army is warning people not to fall for text messages informing them that they've been selected to be drafted into the military.
The fraudulent text messages were sent throughout the country this week amid growing tensions between the United States and Iran that has seen the deployment of additional troops to the Middle East and driven talk on social media of another military conflict in the region.
The fake text messages tell the receiver the Army has tried contacting them unsuccessfully and orders them to report to the nearest recruiting branch for immediate departure to Iran.
"We're aware that this number is not disconnected, you'll be fined and sent to jail for minimum 6 years if no reply," some of the messages said.
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The Army issued a warning Tuesday that text messages sent to people across the country telling them they've been selected for a military draft are fake. The draft was abolished in 1973, when the military switched to an all-volunteer force. (U.S. Army Recruiting Command )
It was unclear how many text messages were sent, the Army Recruiting Command told Fox News in an emailed statement. It said recruiters have seen screenshots of the messages from people in various parts of the country.
"Some have included fake names claiming to be Army recruiters, and others have used real names of leaders within our command," the recruiting command said. "Army security personnel are looking into the origin of the messages."
The military has been an all-volunteer force since the draft was abolished in 1973. All men age 18-25 are still required to register for the selective service.
"The decision to enact a draft is not made at or by U.S. Army Recruiting Command," the Army said in a Tuesday statement. "The Selective Service System, a separate agency outside of the Department of Defense, is the organization that manages registration for the Selective Service."
Registration does not enlist a person into the military.
"The Selective Service System is conducting business as usual,” according to the Selective Service System’s official Facebook page. “In the event that a national emergency necessitates a draft, Congress and the President would need to pass official legislation to authorize a draft."
If a draft were to be reinstated, the Selective Service would administer it, not the Army. The text messages come as additional troops have been deployed to the Middle East following the death of Iran's Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. In retaliation, Iran on Wednesday launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles into Iraq at bases that house U.S. troops. No one was killed.
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In a Wednesday morning address to the nation, President Trump said he will impose "punishing economic sanctions" on Tehran and urged western powers to recognize Iran's nuclear ambitions.
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