Trump officials hold first classified briefing with Congress on Iran strikes
Top national security officials met with Senators on Thursday in a classified briefing to discuss the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last week.
The Associated Press reported that the session came as senators weighed their support for a resolution declaring that President Donald Trump should get authorization from Congress before launching more military action against Iran. A vote on that resolution could come as soon as Thursday.
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Who is participating in the classified briefing?
Dig deeper:
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are expected to brief the senators on Thursday. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard will not attend the briefing, a person familiar with the schedule told the Associated Press.
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Questions have circulated around President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran and whether the attacks were successful. Citing a U.S. intelligence report, the AP noted that Iran’s nuclear program had been set back only a few months, opposing statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran’s nuclear facilities, two people familiar with the report, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the AP.
According to the Associated Press, Democrats and some Republicans have stated that the White House overstepped its authority when it failed to seek the advice of Congress. Lawmakers also want to know more about the intelligence that Trump used when he authorized the attacks.
Republicans split on Trump’s Iran strikes
The other side:
Most Republicans have defended President Donald Trump’s actions with the strikes and lauded the tentative ceasefire he negotiated in the Israel-Iran war. However, some in the GOP are uncomfortable with the Iran strikes and the possibility of U.S. involvement in an extended Middle East conflict.
The Associated Press reported that Trump sent congressional leaders a letter Monday serving as his official notice of the strikes, which occurred Saturday between 6:40 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. EDT, or roughly 2:10 a.m. on Sunday in Iran.
The letter stated that the strike was taken "to advance vital United States national interests, and in collective self-defense of our ally, Israel, by eliminating Iran’s nuclear program."
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, who spoke to two people on the condition of anonymity about the briefing. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.