US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday said it was not the intelligence community’s job to establish whether Iran had posed an “imminent threat” to America before the war.
In comments sure to draw further scrutiny about when and why Donald Trump decided to attack Iran, she said that only the US President can decide what constitutes a pressing threat to the nation.
“It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” Ms Gabbard, a Trump appointment, told the Senate intelligence committee.
The extent to which Iran posed a threat to the US before Mr Trump's decision to join Israel's war against Tehran on February 28 is under the spotlight after the top US counter-terrorism official resigned over Iran.
Joe Kent, who led the US Counter-Terrorism Centre, stepped down on Tuesday after saying that Tehran had posed no imminent threat and that Mr Trump had been deceived by Israel and some elements of the media into starting the conflict. His boss was Ms Gabbard.
Mr Trump and his senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have repeatedly claimed Iran did pose an urgent threat to the US. On March 1, the White House said the Iranian regime posed an “imminent nuclear threat”.
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff read some of the Trump administration's talking points back to Ms Gabbard, including her own assessment that Iran's nuclear enrichment programme had been “obliterated” during US raids last June, and that Tehran had not tried to rebuild its enrichment capability.
Mr Ossoff suggested she was afraid to be straightforward about the level of Iranian threat because it might go against Mr Trump’s remarks.
“You’re evading a question because to provide a candid response to the committee would contradict a statement from the White House,” he said.
Ms Gabbard replied: “Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the President.”
Ms Gabbard also testified that the Iranian government remains in control after nearly three weeks of war but has been “vastly degraded” since the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury.
“As of this moment, the regime maintains power within Iran, even though they are vastly degraded on almost every front,” she said.
“Even so, Iran and its proxies remain capable of and continue to attack US and allied interests in the Middle East. If a hostile regime survives, it will seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its missiles and UAV (drone) forces.”
Ms Gabbard was asked if Mr Trump had called for her assessment on whether she thought Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz before launching the war, but she declined to divulge any conversations they may have had.
Wednesday's hearing identified China, Russia, North Korea and Iran as top adversaries, but largely focused on the Iran war.
Ms Gabbard said the intelligence community assesses that the number of missiles that could reach the US will grow from 3,000 today to more than 16,000 by 2035.
“The IC [intelligence community] assess that China and Russia are developing advanced delivery systems meant to be capable of penetrating or bypassing US missile defences,” she said.
She added that Pakistan is developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could strike the US mainland.
