Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Senior officials in the administration of President Donald Trump told congressional staff in closed-door briefings that U.S. intelligence had not found evidence that Iran was preparing to launch an imminent attack on American forces, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
The acknowledgment came a day after the United States and Israel launched one of their most extensive coordinated military campaigns against Iran in decades. Officials say the strikes, which began Saturday, have hit more than 1,000 targets across Iran, destroyed naval assets and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
However, the private assessment shared with lawmakers appeared to undercut one of the central public justifications for the military action. Senior administration officials had told reporters earlier that President Donald Trump partly based his decision on indicators that Iran might strike U.S. forces in the Middle East, possibly in a preemptive move.
One official said Trump was unwilling to “sit back and allow American forces in the region to absorb attacks.”
Pentagon briefings last more than 90 minutes
Pentagon officials briefed Democratic and Republican staff from several national security committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives for more than 90 minutes on Sunday, according to White House spokesperson Dylan Johnson.
During the classified sessions, officials emphasized that Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and its network of regional proxy forces pose a significant threat to U.S. interests. Nevertheless, the two sources said the briefers acknowledged there was no specific intelligence indicating Tehran was about to strike U.S. forces first.
Trump has said the military campaign, expected to continue for weeks, is intended to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, curb its missile program and eliminate threats to the United States and its allies. He has also publicly urged Iranians to rise up against their government.
Democrats criticize “war of choice”
Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticized the operation, describing it as a war of choice and questioning the administration’s decision to abandon diplomatic efforts. Mediator Oman had previously indicated that negotiations between Washington and Tehran still held promise.
Trump has argued, without presenting public evidence, that Iran was close to gaining the capability to strike the United States with a ballistic missile. Sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments told Reuters that this claim was not supported by existing reports and appeared to be overstated.
Mounting scrutiny over the war’s justification comes as the U.S. military confirmed the first American casualties of the conflict.
Three US troops killed, five wounded
U.S. Central Command said Sunday that three American service members were killed and five seriously wounded in the fighting. Several others suffered minor shrapnel injuries and concussions.
The military said U.S. aircraft and naval forces have struck more than 1,000 Iranian targets since Trump ordered the launch of major combat operations. The campaign has included B-2 stealth bombers dropping 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bunker-busting bombs on hardened underground missile facilities.
Public opinion in the United States appears divided. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sunday found that 27 percent of Americans approve of the strikes, while 43 percent disapprove and 29 percent remain undecided.
With U.S. forces on heightened alert and regional tensions rising, lawmakers in Washington are expected to press the administration for further classified briefings in the days ahead as concerns grow over the risk of a broader regional war.
