President Trump recently called his top general, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, into the Oval Office, frustrated that the Strait of Hormuz could not be reopened quickly. Caine’s answer was simple: even one Iranian soldier in a speedboat could fire a missile at a supertanker or plant a mine on its hull. With oil prices already near $100 a barrel and insurance costs rising sharply, any image of burning tankers is a win for Iran.
This meeting reflects the difficult choices Trump faces as the war against Iran enters its third week. He must decide whether to keep fighting or pull back from a conflict already causing military, diplomatic, and economic damage. The U.S. and Israel launched what has become the biggest Middle East war in nearly a quarter-century.
