Pentagon told Congress no intelligence showed Iran would strike first

Trump administration officials briefed Democratic and Republican staff of multiple Senate and House national security committees on March 1, 2026, acknowledging there was no intelligence indicating Iran planned to attack U.S. forces first. The closed-door session lasted over 90 minutes. Officials argued Iran's ballistic missiles and proxy networks posed a general threat to U.S. interests, but the briefing directly undercut the administration's public justification that the war was a preemptive act against an imminent threat.