Few people inside the administration knew the president was moving forward with plans for the attack, even late last week.

Iran launched a missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar and Iraq, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and escalating tensions in the volatile region. The following map shows where the U.S.’s other key military bases near Iran.

Trump’s statement that he might wait “two weeks” to decide on striking Iran was part of an elaborate administration effort at “misdirection,” officials said.