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The top intelligence official of the United States has stated that Iran’s regime remains intact but is significantly weakened.
During a congressional hearing, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, along with other senior officials from the Trump administration, presented testimony outlining the risks facing the United States globally. The hearing took place Wednesday.
This marked the first time since the onset of the war at the end of last month that U.S. officials have publicly shared intelligence assessments. Prior to the hearing, the head of counterterrorism resigned after stating that there was no immediate threat from Iran to the United States.
According to Gabbard, the U.S. had anticipated potential issues in the Strait of Hormuz. She oversees American intelligence operations.
“The intelligence community believes that while the Iranian regime remains in place, its leadership and military capabilities have deteriorated, rendering the regime quite weak,” she stated.
She appeared before the hearing alongside heads of the CIA, FBI, National Security Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency.
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff repeatedly questioned Gabbard on whether she currently considers Iran a threat to the United States. She declined to answer directly.
“The sole person to make that determination is the President,” she responded.
Since the beginning of the conflict, lawmakers and analysts from both the Republican and Democratic parties have questioned why the U.S. initiated the attacks and whether the Trump administration had accurately anticipated potential problems in the Strait of Hormuz.
Former U.S. presidents have previously argued that Iran’s development of nuclear weapons posed a threat to both the U.S. and Israel.
Assessing the Threat from Iran
At the time of his resignation on Tuesday, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, claimed that the Trump administration’s decision to launch the war was driven by pressure from influential Israeli and American lobby groups.
Kent had also stated on social media platform X that there was no immediate threat from Iran to the United States.
At Wednesday’s hearing, CIA Director John Ratcliffe expressed disagreement with Kent’s assessment.
“In my view, Iran has long posed a persistent threat to the United States and continues to do so today,” Ratcliffe said.
Gabbard highlighted that Iran’s military capabilities were notably weakened following U.S. and Israeli attacks.
According to intelligence findings, during the 12-day conflict, Iran tried to protect itself from extensive damage to its nuclear infrastructure and reportedly refused to assume responsibility for the nuclear program.
Areas of Contradiction?
In her prepared written statement for the hearing, Gabbard noted that Iran’s nuclear program was devastated by the attacks and that Iran had not attempted to rebuild it, although she did not read this section aloud during her testimony.
When questioned by Democratic Senator Mark Warner, Gabbard explained she had to condense parts of the comprehensive statement due to time constraints.
“In other words, you removed some contradictory parts regarding the president’s position,” Warner inquired, particularly the justification given by Trump that Iran’s nuclear weapons development warranted military action.
Legislators also questioned the extent of intelligence officials’ involvement in Trump’s decision to attack Iran. Independent Senator Angus King asked if intelligence officials were present during the president’s final decision-making sessions.
Ratcliffe responded that although he attended dozens of meetings with the president, he was not aware of any single moment when the decision was made.
King further queried whether intelligence officials had warned Trump about a potential Iranian attack on the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the start of the conflict, Iran has continually targeted this narrow waterway, disrupting oil exports.
“The president receives ongoing intelligence updates,” Ratcliffe said, adding that due to the threat Iran poses to key U.S. energy centers in the region, the Department of Defense has implemented protective measures.
Gabbard noted that intelligence agencies had forecast Iran’s attempts to gain control over the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the U.S. Department of Defense to advance contingency plans in advance.
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