Gabbard Testifies Before Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as Aide Resigns Over Iran War

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday, March 18, 2025, amid escalating controversy over the Trump administration's war with Iran.

“(WASHINGTON) — For the first time since the start of the war, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard faced pointed questions Wednesday on whether Iran posed an “imminent threat” to the U”

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The hearing came shortly after Joe Kent, deputy to Gabbard and director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in protest, stating he could not 'in good conscience' back the war and arguing that Iran posed 'no imminent threat' to the United States.

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Gabbard provided the intelligence community's assessment that the Iranian regime 'appears to be intact but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities,' with its conventional military power projection capabilities 'largely destroyed.'

When pressed by Democratic senators, Gabbard repeatedly declined to detail what intelligence she shared with President Trump about potential Iranian retaliation, including the risk to Gulf nations and the critical Strait of Hormuz trading route, stating 'I have not and won't divulge internal conversations.'

The testimony exposed significant discrepancies between President Trump's public claims about Iran's nuclear capabilities and the intelligence community's assessments.

While Trump stated that Iran had 'attempted to rebuild their nuclear program' after his June strikes and claimed they were 'starting it all over,' Gabbard's written testimony clearly stated that 'as a result of Operation Midnight Hammer (in June), Iran's nuclear enrichment program was obliterated' and 'there has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.'

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However, Gabbard notably did not read this portion of her opening statement during the hearing, explaining that her 'time was running long.'

When directly pressed by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff about whether this remained the intelligence community's assessment, Gabbard confirmed 'Yes,' but maintained that only the president can determine what constitutes an 'imminent threat.'

The intelligence community's assessment of Iran's missile capabilities also differed from Trump's public statements.

“Democrats on Wednesday seemed to reason that they could get at the crux of Kent’s resignation without invoking him personally”

CNN

While Trump claimed in his State of the Union address that Iran was building intercontinental ballistic missiles that would 'soon reach the United States of America,' Gabbard provided a more measured assessment, stating that Iran 'previously demonstrated space launch and other technology it could use to begin to develop a militarily viable ICBM before 2035, should Tehran attempt to pursue that capability.'

When Republican Sen. Tom Cotton cited other analysts' estimates that Iran could have an ICBM 'to threaten the United States in as few as six months,' CIA Director John Ratcliffe declined to confirm the timeline, saying only 'if left unimpeded ... they would have the ability to range missiles to the continental US.'

Ratcliffe directly contradicted Kent's resignation assertions, stating 'Iran has been a constant threat to the U.S. for an extended period of time and posed an immediate threat at this time,' while Gabbard maintained that internal intelligence conversations would remain confidential.

The Senate hearing also addressed the escalating human cost and geopolitical consequences of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

NewsNation reported that the conflict has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, more than 900 in Lebanon, and 14 in Israel according to officials in those countries.

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Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was 'eliminated' in an overnight Israeli strike, following the deaths of top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard's Basij force.

In response to U.S. and Israeli strikes, Iran launched missiles toward Israel and neighboring Gulf countries, with explosions heard in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and interceptions reported in Saudi Arabia.

The conflict has also disrupted global oil supplies, with Iraq resuming oil exports through a pipeline to Turkey to avoid the Persian Gulf entirely, and the United Arab Emirates shooting down drones approaching its capital Riyadh's diplomatic quarter where the U.S. embassy is located.

Beyond the Iran war, the testimony revealed other significant national security concerns and controversies.

“US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard warned the Senate on Wednesday (March 18) that several nations are developing missile capabilities that could directly threaten the United States”

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Gabbard warned the Senate that several nations including Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan are developing missile capabilities that could directly threaten the United States, projecting that the collective missile threat could expand from the current 3,000+ missiles to more than 16,000 by 2035.

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She also addressed questions about her controversial appearance at an FBI raid on an election center in Georgia's Fulton County, confirming that Trump asked her to go 'the day of the raid' to 'work with the FBI to observe this action,' though she claimed she was 'not aware of what was in the warrant' and did not 'participate in a law enforcement activity.'

Additionally, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly pressed officials about a pro-Trump political action committee offering 'private national security briefings' for donations, with Ratcliffe stating such activity would violate the Hatch Act and Gabbard claiming she was 'not familiar' with the document.