Gabbard tells senators Iranian regime is degraded but still intact

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/18/tulsi-gabbard-iran-intelligence-hearing/

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers Wednesday that the regime in Iran “appears to be intact but largely degraded” after almost three weeks of war in the Middle East, but she faced intense scrutiny over the Trump administration’s preparation for the conflict and how she advised the president about the risks it posed.

According to her written statement, Gabbard was expected to say that the Iranians had made “no efforts” since the U.S. bombing of their nuclear facilities “to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.” That statement appeared to undercut claims made by the administration, which has cited Iran’s nuclear program as one reason President Donald Trump felt an imperative to start the war.

Under questioning from Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia), Gabbard affirmed later in the hearing that her written remarks do reflect the intelligence community’s assessment of Iran’s nuclear capability, though she declined to say directly whether Iran had posed an “imminent nuclear threat,” as the Trump administration claimed in the run-up to war.