Witkoff to brief bipartisan group of US senators on Tuesday: Report

WASHINGTON

US envoy Steve Witkoff is planning to brief a small bipartisan group of senators on the war in Iran in a classified setting on Tuesday afternoon, Axios reported Monday.

Citing three people familiar with the matter, Axios said the briefing is organized by Republican Senator Joni Ernst, chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.

Earlier Monday, US Democratic lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee demanded that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Witkoff, and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner appear before Congress to testify on the ongoing operation.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, disrupting global markets and aviation.

A total of 13 US service members have been killed, and about 200 others injured since the operation began.

With the mediation by Oman, Kushner and Witkoff were involved in talks with Iran over its nuclear program before the war began.