Trump administration postpones classified briefings for lawmakers on Iran

The Trump administration postpones classified briefings for Senate and House members as lawmakers look for more answers about US President Donald Trump’s directed strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend and his announcement yesterday that the two countries had reached a ceasefire agreement.

The Senate briefing has been rescheduled for Thursday so that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio can attend, according to multiple people with knowledge of the scheduling change who would only discuss it on the condition of anonymity.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, says on social media that the House briefing will now be held on Friday, “details to follow.”

The separate briefings for the House and Senate were to be led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, along with General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and deputy secretaries of state Christopher Landau and Steve Feinberg.

Democrats in Congress, along with some Republicans, have many questions about Trump’s unilateral decision to launch military action, arguing he should have gone to Congress for approval — or at least provided more justification for the attacks.

Congress has not received any new intelligence since Gabbard told lawmakers in March that the US believed Iran was not building a new nuclear weapon, according to two people familiar with the intelligence. The people insisted on anonymity to share what Congress has been told.

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 the Republican president’s strategy, and his motives abroad, but some believe the US could have a role in supporting Israel against Iran. Others strongly believe the US should stay out of it.

Some of Trump’s strongest Republican supporters agree with the Democrats who oppose intervention, echoing the president’s years of arguments against “forever wars.” But most Republicans enthusiastically backed the strikes, saying Trump should have the power to act on his own.