Pentagon Briefs Congress: No Evidence Iran Planned First Strike on US Forces

Senior officials from the Trump administration informed congressional staff in closed-door briefings on Sunday that there was no intelligence indicating Iran intended to launch an attack on United States forces before recent military actions, according to individuals familiar with the discussions.

These briefings followed a series of significant military operations conducted by the United States and Israel on Saturday. According to officials, these operations included the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the sinking of Iranian warships, and strikes on more than 1,000 targets. The scale of the attacks was described as the most ambitious against Iran in decades.

Officials had previously told reporters that US President Donald Trump authorized the military actions partly due to indications that Iranian forces might carry out preemptive strikes against American personnel stationed in the Middle East. One official stated that President Trump was unwilling to "sit back and allow American forces in the region to absorb attacks."

However, during the more than 90-minute Pentagon briefings with congressional staff, administration officials acknowledged that there was no specific intelligence suggesting Iran was preparing to attack US forces first. This admission appeared to contradict earlier statements from senior officials regarding the rationale for the military operations.

Sources familiar with the matter indicated that the briefings were attended by both Democratic and Republican staff members. The information provided raised questions among some lawmakers about the justification for the recent escalation in military activity.

The discrepancy between the administration's public statements and the information shared in the congressional briefings has drawn attention to the decision-making process behind the recent actions targeting Iran. Officials have not commented further on the details of the intelligence or the ongoing military operations.