Democrat 'Briefed on Intelligence' Says 'Iran Posed No Imminent Threat,' Was Not on Verge of Nuclear Weapon as Claimed by Netanyahu and Trump

Fallout continues from the Trump administration's surprise bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday, as a Democratic lawmaker refutes claims that Iran was close to developing a "deliverable nuclear weapon."

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy is the latest lawmaker to condemn President Trump's unilateral decision to strike Iran early Sunday. He also challenged claims by the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made similar assertions for decades, that Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

"I was briefed on the intelligence last week," Murphy wrote in an X post shared late Saturday evening. "Iran posed no imminent threat of attack to the United States. Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon."

"The negotiations Israel scuttled with their strikes held the potential for success," he added, referring to the sixth round of talks between Iran and the U.S., which was scheduled for June 15, just two days before Israel launched its unprovoked attack on Iran.

In a follow-up X post, Murphy reiterated that Iran was at the negotiating table, "which makes this attack—with all its enormous risks—so reckless."

"The context matter. We know—for certain—there is a diplomatic path to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The Obama agreement was working. And as late as a week ago, Iran was back at the table again," Murphy wrote.

In addition to U.S. lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Ortiz, speaking out against Trump's attack on Iran, leaders from around the world denounced the escalation in the Israel-Iran war, Al Jazeera reported.

"I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security."

Russia's foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack. In a statement released Sunday, the ministry stated the attack was an "irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, whatever the arguments it may be presented with, flagrantly violates international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer showed his support for Trumps' attack, writing in a statement that "Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security."

"Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat," Starmer said in a statement, echoing Trump and Netanyahu's unverified claim.

Originally published on Latin Times