SAEDNEWS: The U.S. intelligence community has acknowledged that Iran’s governing structure remains intact despite recent attacks, according to statements made by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence during a Senate session.
According to SAEDNEWS, Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, told lawmakers that the intelligence community’s assessment indicates that Iran’s government has remained stable even after what she described as significant military strikes.
However, Gabbard also argued that the attacks have considerably weakened the country by targeting key leaders and military capabilities.
“The intelligence community’s assessment is that Iran’s government remains intact,” Gabbard said, adding that it has nonetheless been “significantly weakened” as a result of strikes against its leadership and military infrastructure.
As Director of National Intelligence, Gabbard oversees the coordination of 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. Her remarks were delivered as part of the intelligence community’s annual threat assessment presented to the U.S. Senate.
The assessment comes amid reports suggesting that the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump had initially expected a rapid collapse of Iran’s political system after the conflict began.
According to a recent report by Axios, Trump had underestimated both Iran’s willingness and its ability to close the Strait of Hormuz. The report also suggested that the U.S. administration had anticipated the possibility that Iran’s governing structure could quickly collapse following the assassination of the country’s supreme leader.
