Guwahati: Senior Pentagon officials told congressional staff in closed-door briefings on Sunday that there was no intelligence indicating Iran was preparing to strike U.S. forces first, two people familiar with the discussions said, a finding that undercuts a central argument the Trump administration used to justify its large-scale military campaign against Iran.
On Saturday, the United States, in coordination with Israel, launched what officials described as one of the most extensive offensives against Iran in decades. U.S. authorities said the campaign has so far targeted more than 1,000 sites, including missile facilities and naval assets; Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reported killed in the strikes and multiple Iranian warships were destroyed, the briefings and reports said.
Ahead of the operation, senior administration officials told reporters President Donald Trump acted partly because of indicators suggesting Iran might mount a preemptive attack on American forces in the Middle East. One official warned Mr. Trump would not “sit back and allow American forces in the region to absorb attacks.”
During roughly 90-minute briefings for Democratic and Republican staff of the national security committees in both chambers of Congress, Pentagon officials stressed that while Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its regional proxy forces posed an imminent threat to U.S. interests, there was no intelligence showing Tehran was preparing an immediate first strike against American troops, the sources said.
White House spokesperson Dylan Johnson confirmed that Pentagon officials had briefed lawmakers on the ongoing campaign. The administration has said the strikes — expected to continue for weeks — aim to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, curb its missile capabilities and eliminate threats to the United States and its allies. Mr. Trump has also publicly urged the Iranian people to rise up against their government.
Democrats have criticised the operation as a “war of choice,” arguing the administration abandoned diplomatic avenues. Oman, which had been mediating talks, said negotiations still held promise before hostilities escalated.
Mr. Trump has asserted, without presenting public evidence, that Iran was nearing the capability to strike the United States with a ballistic missile. Sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments told Reuters that claim was not supported by available intelligence and appeared overstated.
The debate over the war’s justification sharpened after U.S. Central Command said on Sunday three American troops had been killed and five were seriously wounded; several others suffered minor injuries, including shrapnel wounds and concussions. According to the military, U.S. aircraft and naval forces have carried out more than 1,000 strikes since major combat began, including B-2 stealth bombers dropping 2,000-pound bombs on fortified underground missile installations.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday found 27% of Americans approved of the strikes, 43% disapproved and 29% were uncertain. With operations ongoing and political divisions growing in Washington, questions persist about the intelligence assessments and strategic objectives driving the expanding conflict.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/world/pentagon-briefing-finds-no-evidence-iran-was-preparing-to-strike-us-first.html
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Publish Date: 2026-03-03 00:19:00
