Intelligence leaders are set to brief Congress on Trump's Iran strikes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of Congress will hear directly from President Donald Trump's intelligence leaders Tuesday, receiving classified briefings just three days after Trump directed strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and a day after Iran struck a U.S. base in Qatar.
The briefings also come the day after Trump proclaimed on social media that Israel and Iran had agreed that there will be an 'Official END' of their conflict.
Democrats in Congress, along with some Republicans, have questions about Trump's unilateral decision to launch military action, arguing he should have come to Congress for approval — or at least provided more justification for the attacks.
'We expect them to explain to the American people what were the results in terms of actually thwarting Iran's capacity to become a nuclear power and what are the Trump administration's plans to avoid another potentially disastrous war in the Middle East, where thousands of American lives are potentially at risk,' said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The separate briefings for the House and Senate will be led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, along with Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and deputy secretaries of state Christopher Landau and Steve Feinberg.
The meetings could turn contentious as many lawmakers feel they have been left in the dark on what led to the strikes and amid escalating tensions between the White House and Congress over the role of the United States internationally — disagreements that don't always fall along party lines.
Democrats have been generally suspicious of Trump's strategy, and his motives abroad, but some believe the U.S. could have a role in supporting Israel against Iran. Others strongly believe the U.S. should stay out of it.
Some of Trump's strongest Republican supporters agree with the Democrats, echoing his earlier arguments against 'forever wars.' But many others in the party enthusiastically backed the strikes, saying he should have the power to act on his own.
'President Trump deserves all the credit,' said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after Trump said there would be a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. 'This is what peace through strength looks like.'
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, suggested in a post on X that Trump should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., posted: 'Historic! The President of Peace!'
Democrats said they would be looking for more information about the ceasefire that Trump claimed on social media. Israel and Iran did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire.
After Iran's retaliation on the U.S. base in Qatar on Monday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he wanted an additional classified briefing 'laying out the full threat picture, the intelligence behind Iran's retaliation, and the details, scope, and timeline of any U.S. response.'
Senate Democrats are also forcing a vote as soon as this week on a resolution by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., requiring congressional approval for specific military action in Iran.
'You have a debate like this so that the entire American public, whose sons and daughters are in the military and whose lives will be at risk in war, get to see the debate and reach their own conclusion together with the elected officials about whether the mission is worth it or not,' Kaine said Monday.
Communication between the White House and Congress about Iran has been limited for most members. Trump sent congressional leaders a short letter Monday serving as his official notice of the strikes, two days after the bombs fell.
Trump said the attacks were 'limited in scope and purpose' and 'designed to minimize casualties, deter future attacks and limit the risk of escalation.'
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said he wants to ask the intelligence officials what they know about the damage done by the bombings, and how successful they were.
'There's a reason why the Constitution requires the Congress to be informed and the president to seek approval in beginning a war, which is the founders thought that the people should have a say, that the president shouldn't act alone,' Blumenthal said.
___
Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
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Winnipeg Free Press
33 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Donald Trump and the next forever war
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Status of ceasefire unclear after Iranian missile barrage strikes Israel after a first deadline
BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire' soon after Iran launched a retaliatory limited missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar. But the status of a possible ceasefire remained tentative on Tuesday as an Iranian missile barrage struck Israel after a first deadline for the proposal. The Iranian barrages sent Israelis hurrying into bomb shelters as the sun rose, killing at least four people and injuring eight others, Israel's Magen David Adom rescue services said. Israel has yet to acknowledge Trump's proposal, which gives Israel more time to potentially strike back though Iran on its state television announced an overall ceasefire had begun at 7:30 a.m. local time. The barrage damaged at least three densely packed residential buildings in the city of Beersheba, police said. First responders said they retrieved four bodies from one building and were searching for more. 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The White House has maintained that the Saturday bombing helped get the Israelis to agree to the ceasefire and that the Qatari government helped to broker the deal. It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender. Attacks from Iran forces temporary closure of Israel's skies Israel's Airports Authority said Iran's barrage forced them to close the country's airspace to emergency flights for several hours. Some flights were forced to circle over the Mediterranean Sea, according to Israeli media. Israel's airports have been closed since the war with Iran began, but a handful of emergency flights started arriving and departing over the past few days. By early Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed its flights after Qatar shut down its airspace over the Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base. Flight-tracking data showed commercial aircraft again flying in Qatari airspace, signaling Doha believed the threat on the energy-rich nation had passed. Conflict has killed hundreds In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 974 people and wounded 3,458 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 387 civilians and 268 security force personnel. The U.S. has evacuated some 250 American citizens and their immediate family members from Israel by government, military and charter flights that began over the weekend, a State Department official said. There are roughly 700,000 American citizens, most of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, believed to be in Israel. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Elise Morton in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ella Joyner in Brussels, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
