The Latest: The White House defends its massive bombing campaign against Iran
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ABC News on Monday morning that Iran was an “imminent threat” and that President Donald Trump is the “first president with the guts to actually do something about it.” She was definitive about the outcome of the surprise U.S. strikes against Iran over the weekend, saying they “took away Iran’s ability to create a nuclear bomb.” American stealth bombers, fighter jets and a submarine struck Iran with bombs and missiles – joining Israel’s attempt to wipe out Iran’s nuclear program.
Here’s the Latest:
Trump just ‘raising a question’ about regime change
Leavitt said U.S. operations in the Middle East haven’t changed despite Trump raising the possibility of toppling Iran’s theocratic leaderships.
“The president was just simply raising a question that I think many people around the world are asking,” she told reporters on Monday morning.
She added, “if they refuse to engage in diplomacy moving forward, why shouldn’t the Iranian people rise up against this brutal terrorist regime?”
On Sunday, Trump called into question the future of Iran’s ruling theocracy after a surprise attack on three of the country’s nuclear sites, seemingly contradicting his administration’s earlier calls to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting.
“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on social media. “MIGA!!!”
Leavitt says Democrats were notified about U.S. attack on Iran
Trump’s bombardment of three sites in Iran quickly sparked debate in Congress over his authority to launch the strikes, with Republicans praising Trump for decisive action even as many Democrats warned he should have sought congressional approval.
Leavitt rejected accusations that Democrats were not given a heads up about the U.S. attack on Iran.
“We did make bipartisan calls,” Leavitt told Fox News. She said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries “couldn’t be reached.”
Traditionally, there are bipartisan briefings for congressional leaders, even for classified missions.
Leavitt insisted the White House was “not obligated to tell anybody” about the plans but “we gave these calls as a courtesy.”
Pakistan condemns Trump shortly after nominating him for Nobel
Pakistan condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for bombing Iran, less than 24 hours after saying he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for defusing a recent crisis with India.
Relations between the two South Asian countries plummeted after a massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April. The nuclear-armed rivals stepped closer to war in the weeks that followed, attacking each other until intense diplomatic efforts, led by the U.S., resulted in a truce for which Trump took credit.