How Trump and advisers miscalculated Iran’s response

In the days before the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, President Trump and some advisers downplayed risks to energy markets. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told an interviewer he was not worried that a new round of fighting would disrupt oil supplies, saying prices had only “blipped up” after last June’s strikes.

That judgment unraveled as Iran threatened to fire on commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, bringing Gulf shipping to a near standstill, sending oil prices higher and forcing the administration to scramble to blunt the economic fallout and rising gasoline costs at home.

Iran’s response proved far more forceful than during the earlier 12-day war, with barrages of missiles and drones aimed at U.S. bases, cities across the Middle East and Israeli population centers. U.S. officials adjusted plans hastily, from embassy evacuations to new policy proposals, and some inside the administration expressed growing pessimism about the absence of a clear strategy to secure the strait.

United States, Strait of Hormuz

trump, iran, strait of, oil prices, energy markets, chris wright, commercial tankers, missiles, drones, embassy evacuations