Gabbard: Iranian regime “intact” but “largely degraded”

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified Wednesday that the Iranian regime "appears to be intact" but "largely degraded" by the U.S. and Israeli strikes that began late last month.

"Its conventional military power projection capabilities have largely been destroyed, leaving limited options. Iran's strategic position has been significantly degraded," she told the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Ms. Gabbard said "internal tensions" are likely to increase as Iran's economy worsens and that if the Islamic regime survives, it will look to reconstitute its military capabilities.

"If a hostile regime survives, it will likely seek to begin a yearslong effort to rebuild its military, missiles and [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] forces," she said.

Ms. Gabbard said the intelligence community believes Iran, China, Russia and North Korea will continue selective cooperation, which she said "could bolster their individual capabilities and threats to U.S. interests more broadly."

"However, currently these relationships are primarily bilateral on selective issues and depend on broader circumstances, divergent sovereign interests and, in some cases, concerns over directly confronting the United States," she said. "These factors, the IC assesses, are likely to constrain their relationships."

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