US Congress to get classified Iran briefings next week, say sources
Officials from US President Donald Trump’s
administration will conduct classified briefings on the situation with Iran
next week, congressional sources said on Thursday, after both Democratic and
Republican lawmakers asked for more information.
Congressional aides said that Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford and Acting
Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan would hold a session on Tuesday afternoon
for all members of the Senate.
Trump’s fellow Republicans control a majority of
seats in the Senate.
Aides in the House of Representatives, controlled by
Democrats, said they also expected a briefing next week with Pompeo, but other
details had not yet been made final.
Members of the US Congress have complained for weeks
that Trump’s administration has not shared enough information with them as
tensions flared with Iran, with even some Republicans saying they have been
left in the dark.
Relations between Washington and Tehran have become
more fraught following Trump’s decision this month to try to cut Iran’s oil
exports to zero and beef up the US military presence in the Gulf in response to
what he said were Iranian threats.
Earlier this week, Washington pulled some diplomatic
staff from its embassy in Baghdad following weekend attacks on four oil tankers
in the Gulf.
Trump said on Thursday he hoped the United States
was not heading toward war with Iran.
