Tensions flare during Iran briefing for members of Congress

WASHINGTON — Tensions flared behind closed doors Wednesday as defense and intelligence officials briefed some lawmakers on the Iran war, with Republicans and Democrats expressing frustration at the lack of clarity and information about President Donald Trump’s strategy, according to four congressional officials who attended the briefing and one lawmaker who was briefed about it later.

Much of the frustration at the House Armed Services Committee briefing focused on the prospect of the United States sending ground troops to Iran, officials and lawmakers said, including what those troops could be used for and whether the United States could adequately protect them once they are deployed.

“There was no plan, no strategy, no shared endgame, and they gave no answers. It’s unclear whether there is no plan or whether there is a plan and they wouldn’t share it with members,” one of the congressional officials said.

The briefing came as the war approaches a month’s mark and the Trump administration engages in both a diplomatic effort to try to end it and sends more troops to the Middle East while Trump considers whether to deploy U.S. forces on the ground in Iran.

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Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., acknowledged in a text message to NBC News after the briefing that there had been some frustration with “ALL of the briefings we have received over the past few months.”

He said “the criticism has NOTHING to do with Operation Epic Fury.”

“I fully support what the Iranian administration is doing,” he wrote. “But when they brief members, they should be prepared to provide substantive information and answer questions more fully.”

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., later criticized the briefing, writing on

The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.

In a statement, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the Trump administration had held 20 bipartisan briefings with members of Congress and that “the president’s team will continue to work closely with the Hill while completely demolishing the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile capabilities, its navy, its ability to arm proxies and its dream of possessing a nuclear weapon.”

Congressional officials said the speakers could not provide details on the possibility of deploying U.S. troops to Iran, but would not rule it out. And some lawmakers who attended the briefing made it clear during the closed-door meeting that they would not support troops on the ground, the officials said.

The lawmaker who was briefed on the briefing’s contents said the “red line” for some lawmakers currently supporting the war would be U.S. ground troops in Iran.

“That’s when they’re going to give up on their efforts. There was concern that that might not be out of the question,” the lawmaker said.

The four congressional officials at the news conference also said they were frustrated with defense and intelligence officials over what they see as a lack of a coherent strategy for the war, particularly the direction it is taking. They also said tensions arose because of the administration’s conflicting explanations of the rationale for starting the war.

Speakers said the additional U.S. troops sent to the region were intended to give Trump options, the congressional officials said.