Rubio, Ratcliffe to deliver classified Iran briefing to 'Gang of Eight' ahead of Trump's State of the Union
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will brief top congressional leaders on rising tensions in Iran on Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s annual State of...
By Fox News · Fox News
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will brief top congressional leaders on rising tensions in Iran on Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s annual State of the Union address. Ratcliffe and Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security advisor, will brief the so-called "Gang of Eight," congressional leadership as well as top lawmakers on the Intelligence committees, from the White House Tuesday at 3 p.m. The closed-door session comes as the administration weighs next steps in the escalating standoff with the Islamic Republic. Talks with Iran, where the U.S. is pushing for full denuclearization and a limit on its ballistic missile program, are scheduled to resume on Thursday. White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff led talks last week with Iran that did not result in a tangible deal. The White House has made clear that diplomacy is Trump’s first priority, but the Middle East has seen the largest U.S. military buildup in decades: one carrier strike group under the USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the region and another under the USS Gerald R. Ford is heading that way. TOP IRAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SEEN IN OMAN DAYS AFTER INDIRECT NUCLEAR TALKS WITH US Meanwhile, Iran is digging in. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X Tuesday: "Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people." In a message directed at the American side, he added: "A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority." The U.S. has insisted Iran cannot have any nuclear enrichment capacity, even for energy purposes. TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS Araghchi said last week that the two sides had come to a "general agreement on a number of guiding principles" and agreed to begin drafting text for a possible agreement, with plans t…