In a move that may shift the perception of the conflict among lawmakers and the public, Pentagon officials briefed lawmakers behind closed doors to inform them that there was a lack of intelligence indicating Iran was planning to strike the US military first, according to two sources familiar with the matter, who spoke to Reuters on Sunday.
These disclosures come just a few days after the US and Israel launched their most aggressive attacks on Iran in recent times, attacking more than 1,000 Iranian targets, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and damaging Iranian warships.
While the US has presented the attacks as a preemptory defensive strike, the disclosures to Congress suggest a more complicated narrative.
In the closed-door meeting, Pentagon officials briefed Congress on the fact that Iran’s ballistic missiles and regional forces did pose a threat to the US, although there was a lack of intelligence to suggest Iran was planning to strike US forces first, according to the sources.
The meeting, which lasted more than 90 minutes, included staff from the Senate and House national security panels of both the Democratic and Republican parties, indicating the gravity of the matter.
The strikes were necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, to contain Iran’s missile program, and to counter threats to America’s allies. He even went ahead to call on the Iranian people to revolt against the government. However, the government’s reasoning for the strikes, namely the imminent threat to American forces, lacked corroborating intelligence.
The Democrats have already branded this a “war of choice” because of the peace talks facilitated by Oman that might have provided a way out. It is believed that the assertion by the government that Iran was near the capability to attack the U.S. using ballistic missiles lacked intelligence and was a fabrication to justify the strikes.
The war has already resulted in the first reported U.S. casualties. As the situation continues to deteriorate, the government’s rationale for the strikes will be under intense scrutiny. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Sunday revealed that 27% of Americans approved of the strikes, 43% disapproved, and 29% were undecided.
As the situation continues to deteriorate, the questions of necessity and timing will likely dominate the congressional hearings and media coverage. However, the reality that the most severe U.S.-led attack on Iran in decades might have been launched without evidence of an imminent attack by Iran to justify the strikes hangs over the proceedings.
