“Before the U.S. went to war, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told President Trump that an American attack could prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Caine said in several briefings that U.S. officials had long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones and missiles to close the world’s most vital shipping lane.”

“Trump acknowledged the risk but moved forward with the most consequential foreign-policy decision of his two presidencies. He told his team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait—and even if Iran tried, the U.S. military could handle it.”

“Now, two weeks into the war, Iran’s leaders have refused to back down, and the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as Tehran’s most potent leverage point.”

“Israel is planning to significantly expand its ground operation in Lebanon, aiming to seize the entire area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure,” Axios reports.

President Trump said that the U.S. military had conducted a large bombing raid on Kharg Island, a key port and Iran’s oil export hub, the New York Times reports.

Trump said the raid had “totally obliterated” military forces on the island, but that he had directed the Pentagon not to damage its oil infrastructure, “for reasons of decency.”

Axios says the White House has been considering a ground operation to take over the island as one of many options presented by the Pentagon ahead of the war with Iran.

“Nobody knows who is the leader, so there is no one that can announce surrender.”

— President Trump, quoted by Axios, on why Iran has not surrendered yet.

President Trump on Friday tempered his call for Iranians to rise up against their rulers, acknowledging that they would be gunned down for trying, the New York Times reports.

Trump said there are government forces in Iran that “go around with machine guns. And they say, ‘Anybody protests, we’re going to kill you in the street!’”

He added: “So I really think that’s a big hurdle to climb for people that don’t have weapons.”

New York Times: “The seizures have put the U.S. government in a financial bind. The ships are highly expensive to maintain. And the Trump administration cannot legally sell their oil without a judge’s permission.”

“Maintaining the seized tankers has already cost the United States tens of millions of dollars — in one case, $47 million in only three months — and complicates Mr. Trump’s claims of swift financial victories from his military operations targeting Venezuela and Iran.”