War with Iran? ‘I hope not.’

Twice this week, President Trump has made clear that he does not want to go to war with Iran, pushing back against two of his most hawkish aides — the national security adviser, John Bolton, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — who have been at the vanguard of rising tensions.

On Wednesday, during a morning meeting in the White House Situation Room, Mr. Trump told his acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, he did not want war, according to several administration officials. Mr. Trump repeated the sentiment on Thursday, during a visit by the Swiss president, Ueli Maurer.

U.S. intelligence: Three officials told our reporters that it was photos of missiles on small boats in the Persian Gulf that raised U.S. concerns about rising threats from Iran. The idea is that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could fire the missiles at U.S. ships.

Reaction: The White House, the Pentagon, the C.I.A. and America’s allies are divided over how seriously to take the intelligence. Those in the Middle East are watching with “a mixture of disdain and weary exasperation,” our correspondent in Cairo writes.