According to Al Jazeera, the Pentagon informed Congress that there is no evidence that Iran intended to initiate military action against the United States first.
Reuters reported that representatives of the Donald Trump administration informed Congress that there were no signs of a possible attack from Iran prior to the U.S.-Israeli strikes that resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In closed Pentagon meetings, Congress members were told that Iran's ballistic missiles and its proxy forces pose an immediate threat to American interests; however, intelligence did not provide data indicating Tehran's intention to attack American forces first, according to information from two sources familiar with the situation.
This report calls into question previous statements by Trump officials regarding a threat from Iran, which allegedly might have been preparing a "preventive" strike against American forces.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's National Security Council, denied reports from Western media about his supposed new attempts to resume nuclear negotiations with the U.S.
“We are not going to negotiate with the United States,” he stated in a post on the X platform.
This statement came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Larijani initiated a negotiation process through intermediaries from Oman following Khamenei's assassination.
Israeli military reports new Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.
The Israeli army claims that Iran has launched new missiles towards Israel, and air defense systems are working to intercept them.
Residents who received notifications are instructed to take shelter in safe places and remain in protected areas until further instructions are given.
Brief summary of events:
- Israeli forces began bombing Beirut and southern Lebanese cities after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket attack on northern Israel.
- Israel ordered the relocation of the population in 53 settlements in Lebanon, forcing hundreds of thousands to leave their homes in the middle of the night.
- Israel also announced a new attack on the "center of Tehran," with residents reporting loud explosions in the Iranian capital.
- As a result of Iran's retaliatory attacks in Bahrain, at least one person has died, and explosions have also been reported at an American base near Baghdad.
- Ali Larijani denied rumors of his attempts to resume nuclear negotiations with the U.S.
- The U.S., Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE issued a joint statement condemning the Iranian attacks and reaffirming their right to self-defense.
The Pentagon's notification to Congress about the lack of signs that Iran planned to attack the U.S. first was first published on the K-News website.
