Spy Pictures of Iranian Missiles in Persian Gulf Caused U.S. Panic on Iran: NYT

The sharp escalation in tensions between Iran and the U.S. came after American intelligence snapped photos of small boats equipped with Iranian missiles in the Persian Gulf, according to The New York Times. The spy images are said to have revealed fully assembled missiles, which raised concerns that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was preparing to attack American naval vessels in the region. Three sources told the Times that additional intelligence suggested commercial shipping routes and American troops in Iraq were also a target of militants with Iranian ties. The Washington Post reports the Trump administration did not immediately agree on a strategy, reporting that the president “grew angry last week and over the weekend about what he sees as warlike planning that is getting ahead of his own thinking” on the part of National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “They are getting way out ahead of themselves, and Trump is annoyed,” the Post reported a top official said. “There was a scramble for Bolton and Pompeo and others to get on the same page.” The Post, quoting what it referred to as several U.S. officials, said Trump prefers a “diplomatic approach” to resolving the matter and “wants to speak directly with Iran’s leaders.”