Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated that the US intelligence agencies have assessed that Iran is not rebuilding its nuclear enrichment facilities following American strikes in 2025. The assessment directly contradicts a key justification repeatedly offered by President Donald Trump and his administration for joining Israel in the war against Iran.
Trump's cabinet, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance, has consistently claimed Iran was actively rebuilding enrichment sites at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
In written testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said, "As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer,” referring to the June 2025 US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, “Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme was obliterated.”
“There have been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability,” she added.
Gabbard offered a more restrained view than the White House, which earlier this week declared Iran’s ballistic missile capacity “functionally destroyed", its navy “effectively destroyed", and US-Israel forces dominating Iranian airspace.
She acknowledged the killings of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, top military officials, and most recently the head of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, and Intelligence Minister EsmailKhatib, but noted, “The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury.”
Gabbard also placed Iran alongside Russia, China, North Korea, and Pakistan as countries “researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems, with nuclear and conventional payloads, that put our homeland within range.”
Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi rebuked the administration’s claims, stating indirect exchanges had been yielding positive results before the US backed off and struck Tehran.
The disclosure is likely to intensify domestic and international scrutiny of the administration’s rationale for the ongoing war.
‘Pak, China pose biggest nuclear threat to US’
Gabbard said that Pakistan is among the countries posing the biggest nuclear threat to the United States. During a briefing, Tulsi Gabbard also named Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea as nations actively developing new missile delivery systems, including both nuclear and conventional warheads, which put the United States within range.
“The intelligence community assesses that Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan have been researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems, with nuclear and conventional payloads, that put our homeland within range,” Gabbard said. During the briefing, the US intelligence chief also said that North Korea is strengthening its partnership with Russia and China.
Also read: US drops bunker-busters on Iran missile sites near Hormuz
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