Trump was warned of likely Iranian retaliation on Gulf allies
President Donald Trump was warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims on Monday that Tehran's reaction came as a surprise, said a U.S. official and two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports.
Pre-war intelligence assessments did not say that Iran’s response was 'a guarantee, but it certainly was on the list of potential outcomes,' said one source, who like the other two requested anonymity to discuss the issue.
The president twice on Monday said that Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait were a surprise, the first time at a Kennedy Center board meeting in the White House. 'They (Iran) weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East,' he said. 'Nobody expected that. We were shocked.'
The U.S. official said that Trump was briefed before the war that striking Iran could trigger a broader regional conflict that would include Iranian retaliation against Gulf capitals, especially if Tehran saw those countries condoning or actively supporting the U.S. attacks.
Trump repeated his claim later on Monday during a signing event in the Oval Office. He was asked if he was surprised that nobody had briefed him about that risk that Iran would strike back at the Gulf states.
'Nobody, nobody, no, no, no. The greatest experts, nobody thought they were going to hit,' replied Trump.
The second source familiar with the matter said that before the U.S.-Israeli attacks, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that Israel’s plan to launch strikes aimed at killing top Iranian leaders likely would result in retaliation against U.S. military and diplomatic outposts.
The community also warned that Iran “could” widen its retaliation to American allies in the region, the source said.
Reuters
President Donald Trump was warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims on Monday that Tehran's reaction came as a surprise, said a U.S. official and two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports.
Pre-war intelligence assessments did not say that Iran’s response was 'a guarantee, but it certainly was on the list of potential outcomes,' said one source, who like the other two requested anonymity to discuss the issue.
The president twice on Monday said that Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait were a surprise, the first time at a Kennedy Center board meeting in the White House. 'They (Iran) weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East,' he said. 'Nobody expected that. We were shocked.'
The U.S. official said that Trump was briefed before the war that striking Iran could trigger a broader regional conflict that would include Iranian retaliation against Gulf capitals, especially if Tehran saw those countries condoning or actively supporting the U.S. attacks.
Trump repeated his claim later on Monday during a signing event in the Oval Office. He was asked if he was surprised that nobody had briefed him about that risk that Iran would strike back at the Gulf states.
'Nobody, nobody, no, no, no. The greatest experts, nobody thought they were going to hit,' replied Trump.
The second source familiar with the matter said that before the U.S.-Israeli attacks, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that Israel’s plan to launch strikes aimed at killing top Iranian leaders likely would result in retaliation against U.S. military and diplomatic outposts.
The community also warned that Iran “could” widen its retaliation to American allies in the region, the source said.
Reuters
President Donald Trump was warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims on Monday that Tehran's reaction came as a surprise, said a U.S. official and two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports.
Pre-war intelligence assessments did not say that Iran’s response was 'a guarantee, but it certainly was on the list of potential outcomes,' said one source, who like the other two requested anonymity to discuss the issue.
The president twice on Monday said that Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait were a surprise, the first time at a Kennedy Center board meeting in the White House. 'They (Iran) weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East,' he said. 'Nobody expected that. We were shocked.'
The U.S. official said that Trump was briefed before the war that striking Iran could trigger a broader regional conflict that would include Iranian retaliation against Gulf capitals, especially if Tehran saw those countries condoning or actively supporting the U.S. attacks.
Trump repeated his claim later on Monday during a signing event in the Oval Office. He was asked if he was surprised that nobody had briefed him about that risk that Iran would strike back at the Gulf states.
'Nobody, nobody, no, no, no. The greatest experts, nobody thought they were going to hit,' replied Trump.
The second source familiar with the matter said that before the U.S.-Israeli attacks, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that Israel’s plan to launch strikes aimed at killing top Iranian leaders likely would result in retaliation against U.S. military and diplomatic outposts.
The community also warned that Iran “could” widen its retaliation to American allies in the region, the source said.
Reuters
comments
Trump was warned of likely Iranian retaliation on Gulf allies
comments