Reuters: Pentagon sees no evidence Iran plans preemptive strike

Trump administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings on March 1 that there was no intelligence indicating Iran intended to strike US forces first, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

The statements came after the launch of a large-scale US and Israeli military operation against Iran, Reuters reports.

Earlier, the White House claimed that the decision to strike was linked to a potential “preemptive” threat from Tehran.

According to sources, Pentagon briefings emphasised that Iran’s missile capabilities and its regional allies pose a threat to US interests, but there was no specific intelligence indicating an imminent attack.

Democrats have accused Trump of engaging in a war of choice and criticised his reasoning for halting peace talks, which mediator Oman said still showed potential.

Sources with knowledge of the reports have told Reuters that his missile claim was not supported by US intelligence and appeared to be exaggerated.

By Jeyhun Aghazada