Top Democrat says Trump strikes on Iran 'massive, massive gamble'

Rep. Jim Himes called the U.S. attack a "massive gamble."

Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said it was still too soon to know the status of the Iranian nuclear program in the aftermath of a series of U.S. attacks against Iran.

Calling the strikes by American bombers a “massive gamble” on the part of President Donald Trump, Himes noted that the impact of the attack was still being assessed.

“It's way too early to tell what the actual effect on the nuclear program is. And, of course, it's way too early to tell how this plays out, right? I mean, we've seen this movie before,” Himes told ABC News' “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

“If you look at the history of our military involvements in the region, they almost never end with the best-case scenario. In fact, they usually end in something approximating the worst-case scenario,” he added.

Himes also said that he was “disturbed” by the fact that the strikes were undertaken without the approval of Congress, which holds the sole authority to declare war.

“There's not much ambiguity in the Constitution about who gets to approve these things,” Himes said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.