Trump administration officials told congressional staff in closed-door briefings that U.S. intelligence had found no evidence Iran was preparing to strike American forces first, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
The briefing, which lasted more than 90 minutes for Democratic and Republican staff from key Senate and House national security committees, was confirmed by White House spokesperson Dylan Johnson, even as officials stressed that Iran’s ballistic missiles and regional proxy forces still posed what they described as an imminent threat to U.S. interests.
The disclosure appeared to contradict earlier public remarks from senior officials who said President Donald Trump ordered the large-scale U.S.-Israel strikes partly due to signs Iran might act “perhaps preemptively,” with Trump stating he would not allow American troops in the Middle East to absorb attacks.
Democrats criticized the operation as a “war of choice,” also challenging Trump’s claim — made without presenting evidence — that Iran was close to securing the capability to strike the United States with a ballistic missile, a contention Reuters previously reported was not supported by U.S. intelligence assessments.
As the conflict intensified, U.S. Central Command confirmed three American troops were killed and five seriously wounded, while the U.S. military said it has hit more than 1,000 Iranian targets including underground missile facilities using B-2 bombers, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 27% of Americans support the strikes, 43% oppose them, and 29% remain unsure.
