Republican and Democratic senators have offered sharply conflicting views on President Donald Trump’s bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, following a delayed and contentious behind-closed-doors intelligence briefing on Capitol Hill.
The briefing, held on Thursday, was originally scheduled for Tuesday but postponed by the White House amid accusations of leaks, fueling Democratic outrage and accusations of obstruction.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer labelled the delay “outrageous”, accusing the administration of withholding crucial information from Congress. “Senators deserve full transparency, and the administration has a legal obligation to inform Congress precisely about what is happening,” he said.
Senators briefed by top security officials
Even as senators were being briefed by top security officials, Trump escalated tensions with a Truth Social post, accusing Democrats of leaking a Pentagon draft report which allegedly contradicted his claims about the strikes’ effectiveness. The report reportedly concluded that the attacks had only delayed Iran’s nuclear programme by a few months, rather than destroying it completely.
“The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the PERFECT FLIGHT to the nuclear Sites in Iran. They should be prosecuted!” Trump wrote.
The briefing itself, led by CIA director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, was marked by the absence of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard had previously told Congress that Iran was not pursuing nuclear weapons, a stance she reversed last week following criticism from Trump.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, defended the president’s characterisation of the strikes. “Obliteration is a good word. They blew these places up in a major-league way. They set them back years, not months,” he said. However, he cautioned that Iran might still attempt to rebuild. “As long as they desire [nuclear weapons]… You still have a problem on your hands.”
Democrats, however, were unconvinced. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut accused Trump of “misleading the public” and criticised the lack of clarity over the administration’s long-term strategy. Schumer echoed the concern, stating, “There was no coherent strategy, no endgame, no specific plan on how Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.”
