If truth is the first casualty of war, the second casualty of war is credibility. Last week, much of the American media chose not to believe Mike Pompeo when he presented a Central Command video which, he said, showed an Iranian crew tinkering with limpet mines and an oil tanker.

'Tankers Are Attacked in the Mideast, and US Says Video Shows Iran Was Involved,' was the New York Times's headline. An op-ed in the same issue pondered whether the administration's 'narrative' of the tanker attacks was a Gulf of Tonkin-style fake.

Today, the Times is certain of its facts: 'Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back.' It has the ring of truth, which is always dangerous whether it is true or not.