By — Molly Finnegan Molly Finnegan By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-gabbard-patel-ratcliffe-testify-in-house-hearing-on-national-security-threats Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Gabbard, Patel, Ratcliffe testify in House hearing on national security threats Politics Updated on Mar 19, 2026 8:05 PM EDT — Published on Mar 19, 2026 8:15 AM EDT Top U.S. intelligence officials testified Thursday before the House Select Committee on Intelligence at an open hearing on worldwide threats, the second day of hearings on Capitol Hill focused on the intelligence community's release of its annual assessment of threats to national security. Watch the House hearing on worldwide threats in the player above. On Wednesday, Democratic senators pressed Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, about the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran and whether she offered any guidance to President Donald Trump, among other topics. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. She told lawmakers Wednesday that Iran's regime "appears to be intact but largely degraded" yet repeatedly dodged questions about whether President Donald Trump had been warned about the fallout from the weeks-old war, including Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz. WATCH: Lawmakers press U.S. intelligence officials on Iran war as new strikes jolt oil markets The health of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains uncertain, Gabbard told Congress Thursday. Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said his exact condition, as well as the leadership structure in Iran, is not fully known to U.S. intelligence. "It is unclear his status or his involvement. He was injured very severely in one of the Israeli strikes," Gabbard said. "So the decision-making is unclear." Officials have said the new leader was wounded and possibly disfigured by the Israeli strike. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war last week, though he did not appear on camera and the speech was read by a news anchor. He was chosen to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a major attack by Israel and the United States at the start of the war. Gabbard also stated in prepared remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee that U.S. attacks on Iran last year had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program and that there had been no effort since then to rebuild that capability. The statement was notable given Trump's repeated assertions that a war with Iran was necessary to head off what he said was an imminent threat from the Islamic Republic. Gabbard pointedly said that conclusion was the president's alone to draw as she declined to directly answer whether the intelligence community had likewise assessed that Iran's nuclear system presented an imminent risk to the United States. The hearing came a day after National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned over the war. Kent, a former Green Beret and CIA official known for his past ties to right-wing extremists, posted his resignation letter Tuesday on X, writing directly to Trump that Iran "posed no imminent threat" to the U.S. and he could not "in good conscience" support the war. Kent told Tucker Carlson in a podcast interview Wednesday that he and "other key decision makers" were "not allowed" to share their opinions with the president. Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, makes an opening statement Wednesday in a Senate hearing on worldwide threats. Gabbard repeatedly declined to discuss conversations with Trump, or other senior intelligence officials who testified. The hearings this week offer the public a glimpse into the largely secret operations of the government's intelligence agencies and the threats they confront. They take place at a time of scrutiny over the war with Iran and heightened concerns about terrorism at home after recent attacks at a Michigan synagogue and a Virginia university. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Molly Finnegan Molly Finnegan By — Associated Press Associated Press
Top U.S. intelligence officials testified Thursday before the House Select Committee on Intelligence at an open hearing on worldwide threats, the second day of hearings on Capitol Hill focused on the intelligence community's release of its annual assessment of threats to national security. Watch the House hearing on worldwide threats in the player above. On Wednesday, Democratic senators pressed Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, about the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran and whether she offered any guidance to President Donald Trump, among other topics. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. She told lawmakers Wednesday that Iran's regime "appears to be intact but largely degraded" yet repeatedly dodged questions about whether President Donald Trump had been warned about the fallout from the weeks-old war, including Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz. WATCH: Lawmakers press U.S. intelligence officials on Iran war as new strikes jolt oil markets The health of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains uncertain, Gabbard told Congress Thursday. Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said his exact condition, as well as the leadership structure in Iran, is not fully known to U.S. intelligence. "It is unclear his status or his involvement. He was injured very severely in one of the Israeli strikes," Gabbard said. "So the decision-making is unclear." Officials have said the new leader was wounded and possibly disfigured by the Israeli strike. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war last week, though he did not appear on camera and the speech was read by a news anchor. He was chosen to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a major attack by Israel and the United States at the start of the war. Gabbard also stated in prepared remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee that U.S. attacks on Iran last year had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program and that there had been no effort since then to rebuild that capability. The statement was notable given Trump's repeated assertions that a war with Iran was necessary to head off what he said was an imminent threat from the Islamic Republic. Gabbard pointedly said that conclusion was the president's alone to draw as she declined to directly answer whether the intelligence community had likewise assessed that Iran's nuclear system presented an imminent risk to the United States. The hearing came a day after National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned over the war. Kent, a former Green Beret and CIA official known for his past ties to right-wing extremists, posted his resignation letter Tuesday on X, writing directly to Trump that Iran "posed no imminent threat" to the U.S. and he could not "in good conscience" support the war. Kent told Tucker Carlson in a podcast interview Wednesday that he and "other key decision makers" were "not allowed" to share their opinions with the president. Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, makes an opening statement Wednesday in a Senate hearing on worldwide threats. Gabbard repeatedly declined to discuss conversations with Trump, or other senior intelligence officials who testified. The hearings this week offer the public a glimpse into the largely secret operations of the government's intelligence agencies and the threats they confront. They take place at a time of scrutiny over the war with Iran and heightened concerns about terrorism at home after recent attacks at a Michigan synagogue and a Virginia university. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now