General Discussion

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was revealed to be delivering a “rare briefing” on Tuesday to top Trump officials, and one guest reportedly in attendance has sparked a flurry of speculation as to whether President Donald Trump may authorize an attack on Iran.

That briefing, reportedly about Iran, is being delivered to the so-called “Gang of Eight,” a coalition of congressional leaders who are typically informed of sensitive intelligence matters and covert operations. However, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, a ninth Trump administration official will be joining the briefing, an individual whose attendance raised eyebrows among critics.

“CIA Director [John] Ratcliffe is going to join Secretary of State Rubio at the 3pm Iran briefing for the ‘gang of 8,’ per source familiar,” Ravid wrote in a social media post on X Tuesday.

Ratcliffe’s attendance at the briefing startled onlookers, including journalist Adam Cochran, who took his attendance as a possible sign that a U.S. attack was either imminent or had already happened.

“If [Trump announces an attack on Iran during his State of the Union address], it will be that they already happened,” Cochran wrote in a social media post on X Tuesday.