Washington: Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham said on Tuesday that top administration officials told senators in a briefing the recent attacks on shipping and a pipeline in the Middle East was directed by the Iranian government and the Ayatollah. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford briefed Congressional members on Iran.
"They explained to us how the Iranian threat streams were different than in the past, that the attack on the ships and the pipeline was co-ordinated and directed by the Iranian government, the Ayatollah," Graham told reporters.
Earlier, President Donald Trump's administration charged Tuesday it was "quite possible" Iran was responsible for the sabotage of Gulf oil interests but said its own robust response had prevented potential attacks on Americans.
Top Trump officials appeared to be toning down weeks of fiery warnings to Iran before delivering a classified briefing to the full Congress, where opposition Democrats have accused the administration of hyping intelligence and pushing the United States dangerously close to war.
Pompeo said the United States has not made "a definitive conclusion" that can be presented publicly over the sabotage of oil tankers off the United Arab Emirates or drone strikes on a crude pipeline in Saudi Arabia.
"But given all the regional conflicts that we have seen over the past decade and the shape of these attacks, it seems like it's quite possible that Iran was behind these," Pompeo told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt before heading to Capitol Hill.
Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran and are being hit hard by US-backed Saudi air strikes, claimed responsibility last week for a drone strike on a major east-west pipeline in the kingdom, which was forced to shut down temporarily.
John Bolton, Trump's hawkish national security advisor, earlier this month warned of "unrelenting force" if Iran strikes US interests as he announced the deployment to the region of an aircraft carrier strike group, followed by nuclear-capable B-52 bombers.
Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan, who was joined at the briefing by the US military chief, General Joseph Dunford, said the US response had made an impact.
"I think our steps were very prudent and we've put on hold the potential for attacks on Americans," Shanahan told reporters.
"I'd say we're in a period where the threat remains high and our job is to make sure that there is no miscalculation by the Iranians," he said.
Pompeo said in the radio interview, without further explanation, that there had been "just a hint" that Iran was moving to release imprisoned US citizens.
"Even a small confidence-building measure is a good thing, so it's absolutely the case that were they to release these Americans who are wrongfully held, it would be a good thing," Pompeo said.