US Intelligence Alerted Trump About Iran’s Potential Retaliation on Gulf Partners
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump was warned before the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran that Tehran could retaliate against American Gulf partners, according to US officials and intelligence sources. However, Trump claimed on Monday that Iran’s attacks came as a surprise.
“Nobody, nobody, no, no, no. The greatest experts, nobody thought they were going to hit,” Trump said at an Oval Office event Monday, repeating an assertion he first made at a Kennedy Center board meeting.
Intelligence assessments provided to the president ahead of the February 28 operations indicated that retaliation against Gulf states was “on the list of potential outcomes,” said one source with knowledge of the briefings. The intelligence community assessed that striking Iranian leaders could trigger broader regional conflict, particularly if Gulf countries were seen as supporting the US attacks.
Over the past two weeks, Iranian drones and missiles have struck targets across the Gulf, including US military bases, civilian infrastructure, hotels, and energy facilities. Iran has also largely shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of global oil supplies pass, causing energy prices to spike worldwide.
The disconnect between Trump’s public statements and intelligence assessments points to a broader pattern in the administration. Democratic lawmakers who attended briefings on the conflict said they heard no evidence of an imminent threat justifying the war.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Intelligence officials warned that Iran could “widen its retaliation to American allies in the region” before the strikes began, but the administration did not order diplomatic staff departures from regional embassies until after air operations commenced.
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