US intel chief says Iran not rebuilding nuclear programme, undercutting Trump’s war rationale

US quality has concluded that Iran has not tried to rebuild the atomic enrichment capableness destroyed successful past year’s US and Israeli strikes, a uncovering that cuts against 1 of President Donald Trump’s cardinal claims for the existent war, according to grounds delivered to Congress connected Wednesday.Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said successful prepared grounds to the Senate Intelligence Committee that determination had been “no efforts” by Tehran to reconstruct its enrichment capableness aft the June 2025 US attack, known arsenic Operation Midnight Hammer.

Gabbard’s written grounds contradicts Trump’s halfway claim

In her prepared remarks, Gabbard said, “As a effect of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s atomic enrichment programme was obliterated.”“There has been nary efforts since past to effort to rebuild their enrichment capability,” she added, according to quality bureau AFP.

That appraisal is important due to the fact that Trump has repeatedly argued that helium ordered the latest associated US-Israeli subject run against Iran connected February 28 due to the fact that Tehran posed an “imminent threat” and was lone weeks distant from obtaining a atomic bomb.The UN atomic watchdog and galore autarkic observers person not backed the assertion that Iran was connected the verge of gathering a bomb. The study besides said Iran had been successful talks with Trump’s envoys connected a imaginable woody successful the days earlier the attack.

Gabbard avoids repeating the appraisal successful unfastened hearing

Even though the uncovering was included successful her written testimony, Gabbard did not repetition it successful her nationalist remarks earlier cameras.When a Democratic legislator pressed her connected the issue, Gabbard said she had not had capable clip to work the afloat grounds during the hearing, but she did not quality the written assessment.That lone added to the hostility surrounding her appearance, with Democrats trying to pin down whether the quality assemblage really supports the administration’s nationalist lawsuit for war.Gabbard repeatedly deflected questions astir what quality she had fixed Trump, frustrating Democratic senators who utilized the yearly worldwide threats proceeding to probe the ground for the widening Middle East conflict.When asked by Senator Mark Warner whether she had warned Trump that Iran mightiness unopen the Strait of Hormuz if attacked, Gabbard declined to sermon interior advice.“I person not and won’t divulge interior conversations. I volition accidental that those of america wrong the quality assemblage proceed to supply the president with each of the champion nonsubjective quality disposable to pass his decisions,” she said, arsenic quoted by quality bureau AP.

Joe Kent resignation deepens scrutiny of White House’s Iran menace claims

Joe Kent’s resignation had already sharpened questions astir the administration’s warfare rationale. Kent stepped down connected Tuesday arsenic manager of the National Counterterrorism Center, saying helium could not “in bully conscience” enactment the ongoing warfare successful Iran and arguing that Tehran posed “no imminent threat” to the United States. Trump responded angrily, saying Kent was “very anemic connected security” and that “it’s a bully happening he’s out.” The president besides doubled down connected his presumption that Iran was a superior danger, saying, “Iran was a threat—every state realized that,” and adding that officials who did not judge Iran posed a menace were not radical “we want” successful the administration. The White House has since repeatedly rejected Kent’s claim, insisting Trump had “strong and compelling evidence” that Iran was preparing to onslaught first.

CIA main says Tehran negotiated successful atrocious faith

While Gabbard’s written grounds formed uncertainty connected the statement that Iran was racing to rebuild its atomic programme, CIA Director John Ratcliffe took a harder enactment connected Tehran’s intentions.Ratcliffe told senators that Iran had not been superior successful its diplomacy with Washington earlier the war.“It was precise wide that Iran, portion they were talking, they had nary intentions of pursuing through,” Ratcliffe said.Ratcliffe rejected the appraisal of erstwhile National Counterterrorism Center main Joe Kent, who resigned this week and said Iran did not airs an imminent threat.“The quality reflects the contrary,” Ratcliffe told lawmakers.

Democrats crook up unit implicit warfare justification

The proceeding rapidly became a large trial for the administration’s lawsuit for war.Democratic Senator Michael Bennet accused Trump of abandoning his ain anti-interventionist message.“President Trump said, we are not the policemen of the world. He ran connected that,” Bennet said.“Now he’s turned america into the world’s policeman, into its jury, into its judge, into its executioner,” helium added.Democrats besides tried to usage the proceeding to property officials connected wider consequences of the war, including the hazard that Iran could onslaught Gulf countries oregon disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, a captious way for lipid and state shipments.The proceeding comes amid wider scrutiny of the administration’s behaviour of the war, including reported concerns implicit an probe into a US rocket onslaught that allegedly deed an simple schoolhouse successful Iran and killed much than 165 people, with the White House saying the incidental is nether review.

Gabbard says Iranian authorities inactive intact, though weakened

Despite the harm caused by weeks of attacks, Gabbard said the Iranian authorities remains successful place.She told senators that the US quality assemblage believes the authorities is “intact but mostly degraded owed to attacks connected its enactment and subject capabilities.”Her remarks came adjacent arsenic she described the cumulative effect of the run arsenic severe. The warfare has included the sidesplitting of Iran’s longtime ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Gabbard warned that if the existent authorities survives, it volition astir apt effort implicit clip to reconstruct its subject strength.“If a hostile authorities survives, it volition apt question to statesman a years-long effort to rebuild its military, missiles and UAV forces,” she said.

Broader planetary threats: Russia, Ukraine and China

Beyond Iran, Gabbard utilized the proceeding to laic retired the quality community’s wider menace picture.She said Russia inactive holds the vantage successful its four-year warfare successful Ukraine.“US quality assesses that Russia has maintained the precocious manus successful the warfare against Ukraine,” Gabbard said.She added that portion US-led bid talks betwixt Moscow and Kyiv are continuing, Russia is apt to support warring a dilatory warfare until a woody is reached.Gabbard besides warned of the information of an “escalatory spiral” successful Ukraine oregon elsewhere that could perchance pb to atomic weapons use.On China, she said Beijing is rapidly modernising its subject with the semipermanent extremity of being capable to prehend Taiwan, but the quality assemblage believes China would inactive similar to make conditions for eventual “peaceful reunification” without a war.