House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks, Smith, Himes, McCollum, DeLauro Send Letter to Iran Briefers Demanding Direct Answers on U.S. Military Operations Against Iran

Washington, D.C.- Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; Jim Himes, Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Rosa DeLauro; Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee; and Betty McCollum, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense sent a letter to top Trump administration officials set to brief Congress today.

The letter, addressed to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe; and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, asked for direct and comprehensive answers on critical questions concerning ongoing U.S. military operations against Iran.

A PDF of the full letter can be found here.

"A number of our brave service members have already lost their lives in this conflict, and the American people are entitled to clear answers including why this conflict began, what objectives justify continued military engagement, and what guardrails are in place to prevent a broader or protracted regional war.

"Tomorrow, your classified briefing to Members of Congress regarding ongoing military operations must address strategy, intelligence, legal justification, and long-term consequences in concrete terms. Congress has a constitutional responsibility in matters of war and that requires complete and candid information.

"Accordingly, during the briefing tomorrow, we ask that you directly address the following:

1. Imminent Threat Justification. What is the Administration's legal justification for initiating hostilities? What specific, imminent threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or vital national interests formed the basis for initiating this war?
2. Strategic Objectives and Victory. What are the defined U.S. objectives in this conflict, what conditions would constitute mission success, and under what circumstances would operations cease? Will this require American ground troops fighting in Iran?
3. Regime Change. With the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, who is in control of the country today and who does the Administration expect to control key state institutions at the end of this conflict?
4. Nuclear Security. Who currently controls Iran's nuclear facilities and materials, and what safeguards are in place to prevent diversion or proliferation, or complete loss of control?
5. Strait of Hormuz and Maritime Security. What is the long term risk to access to, and through the strait for commercial traffic? If oil flows do not resume shortly, it will have impact on Americans' electric bills and gas bills in addition to global energy markets.
6. Costs and Impacts on Munitions Inventories. What are the costs associated with this operation? What are current U.S. munitions inventories in the region and globally? What is the impact of continued operations on overall U.S. contingency requirements?..."

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