Tracy Mumford

Some of Trump's other advisers shared similar views in private, dismissing warnings that Iran could choke off the Strait of Hormuz that carries roughly 20% of the world's oil supply.

But that is exactly what's happened.

Now commercial shippings come to a standstill in the Gulf, oil prices have spiked, and the administration's been scrambling to find ways to tamp down the crisis.

Yesterday, the stock market loved it when Wright posted on social media that the Navy had successfully escorted a tanker through the troubled strait.

Oil markets were reassured.

He then deleted the post after administration officials said no escorts had taken place, and markets once again went into turmoil.

I know how much you care about oil and gas, and he says- President Trump himself has been frustrated by the situation.

At one point earlier this week, he told Fox News that oil tanker crews should just go straight through.

In interviews with a dozen U.S.

officials who asked for anonymity to discuss private conversations, The Times learned some military advisors did warn that Iran could launch an aggressive campaign in response to the U.S.-Israeli attack.

But other advisors were confident that taking out Iran's senior leadership, like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of strikes, would lead to more pragmatic leaders who wouldn't keep a conflict going.

Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acknowledged that the Pentagon had not expected Iran to carry out as many strikes as it has on other countries throughout the Middle East.

But he insisted it would backfire on them.

And, he said, Iran's attacks are now slowing.

In contrast, Hegseth said, the U.S.

was launching more strikes than ever.

My colleague Farnaz Fasihi, who has covered Iran for more than two decades, says many people there feel helpless and trapped.

In Washington, D.C., Attorney General Pam Bondi has quietly moved from an apartment in the city to military housing because of safety concerns, according to sources familiar with the situation.

One senior official said there have been growing threats since January when the U.S.

captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been indicted by the Justice Department that Bondi leads.