Trump's national security team pushes war on Iran in Congress

U.S. President Donald Trump's top national security advisers spent much of the day on Tuesday making the case to Congress for the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, describing a rapidly evolving operation and leaving open the possibility of sending in American troops, Democrats and Trump's fellow Republicans said.



Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held classified briefings first for the entire Senate and later the full House of Representatives.



Missouri Republican Josh Hawley told reporters afterward the operation was massive and changing rapidly. "The briefers emphasized this: it's really changing almost by the hour, and I think the scope of it is very broad,"he said.



Senator Bill Cassidy said he does not think Trump plans to deploy ground forces in Iran, although he said the briefers did not rule out that possibility.



"I don't think the American people want to see troops on the ground," the Louisiana Republican told reporters. "They left open that possibility. But it seems not to be something they're emphasizing."