US sources: Trump administration misjudged Iran’s response and war’s impact on oil markets

American sources familiar with the matter have told The New York Times that Iran’s aggressive response forced Washington to revise its plans and begin evacuating embassies across the region.

The sources said there is growing pessimism inside the administration of Donald Trump due to the absence of a clear exit strategy from the war with Iran. They added that Trump’s administration and advisers had misjudged both Iran’s likely response and the impact the conflict would have on global oil markets.

According to the sources, President Trump has publicly insisted the war is succeeding, while his advisers have avoided directly confronting him with their concerns about the increasing complexity of the military operations in Iran.

READ: Iran’s military threatens attacks on US, Israeli banks after strike on Iranian lender

They also said that members of the Republican Party are worried that rising oil prices could harm their chances ahead of the midterm elections.

Earlier, President Trump announced the destruction of 10 boats and mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We were able to hit and destroy 10 boats and inactive mine-laying vessels in the past few hours, and we will target more,” Trump said.

He added: “Any boat attempting to plant mines in the Strait of Hormuz will face the same technology deployed against drug traffickers. 

READ: Trump warns of consequences at levels ‘never seen before’ if Iran does not remove mines from Strait of Hormuz