From success to skepticism; U.S. Lawmakers Split on Iran Strike Impact
A U.S. congressional hearing regarding the country’s aggression against Iran was held as tensions between the two main political parties reached their peak.
After a classified briefing with White House officials on Thursday, U.S. senators offered starkly different assessments of the Trump administration’s bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities. Republicans, aligned with President Donald Trump, described the aggressive operation as a "clear success," while Democrats voiced deep skepticism.
The Associated Press reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane participated in the closed-door briefing, which was originally scheduled for the previous Tuesday.
Many Republicans expressed satisfaction with the session, although their evaluations of the damage inflicted on Iran’s nuclear program varied. Senator Tom Cotton claimed a "major blow" had been dealt, describing the damage to Iran’s facilities as "catastrophic."
Senator Lindsey Graham, a hawkish Republican known for his hardline stance on Iran, asserted: “Their operational capability has been eliminated. No one is working there tonight. It was highly effective. There’s no reason to strike those facilities again anytime soon.”
However, Democrats raised doubts and criticized Trump for failing to provide Congress with sufficient information. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the briefing raised more questions than it answered.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy commented that the attack appeared to have set Iran’s nuclear program back by only a few months. “There is no doubt that the program has suffered some damage,” he said, “but the claim that we’ve destroyed their nuclear program doesn’t seem credible.”
He added: “In my opinion, the president is not telling the truth when he says the program has been obliterated.”
Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called the claim that Iran’s nuclear program had been dismantled “nonsensical.” He stated, “The only relevant question is whether the Iranian government possesses enough material to build a bomb—and if so, how long it would take.”
The Associated Press reported that the briefing was held amid efforts by senators from both parties to vote on a resolution aimed at reaffirming Congress’s authority over war powers. If passed, the resolution would require Trump to obtain congressional approval before taking further military action against Iran.
Democrats and some Republicans have argued that the White House exceeded its authority by launching the strike without congressional authorization. Congress is seeking more detailed information on the rationale behind Trump’s decision to order the attack.
Two informed sources revealed that initial U.S. intelligence assessments indicated Iran’s nuclear program had only been set back by a few months—contradicting statements made by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the program’s condition.
The Guardian also reported that Republican and Democratic senators had sharply conflicting evaluations of the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. In the session, Democrats criticized Trump’s unilateral action of attacking Iran without congressional approval.
The Guardian noted that, despite clear disagreements among intelligence services regarding the effectiveness of the strikes, Thursday’s briefing did little to clarify the assessments for Congress.