Jon Ossoff Presses Tulsi Gabbard About Whether Iran Was an Immediate Threat

Senate Hearing on Iran Threat Assessment

During a hearing on Wednesday, Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, pressed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on whether Iran is considered an imminent threat to the United States.

On Tuesday, Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation, stating that Iran does not represent an imminent threat that would warrant a military response such as Operation Epic Fury. In the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Gabbard maintained that only President Donald Trump has the authority to make such critical decisions.

Ossoff challenged Gabbard’s assertion, questioning, “Was that an intelligence agency assessment? Do you mean there was an imminent nuclear threat from the Iranian regime? Yes or no?”

Gabbard replied, “Senators, only the president can determine what is an imminent threat and what is not,” affirming that the president made his judgment.

Ossoff interjected, calling her statement “wrong.” He emphasized that the hearing aimed to provide national intelligence to Congress in an objective manner, free from political influences. He referenced Gabbard’s earlier statement regarding Iran’s nuclear program being “obliterated” and that there had been “no effort to rebuild” enrichment capabilities. He pushed for a straightforward answer about whether the intelligence community assessed Iran as an imminent nuclear threat.

Despite Ossoff’s request for a clear yes or no answer, Gabbard avoided a direct response, reiterating that it’s the president’s prerogative to make those assessments based on comprehensive information.

Ossoff stressed the importance of Gabbard representing the intelligence community’s assessment of threats, stating, “You are here to represent the IC’s threat assessment.” He pressed her again about whether Iran was seen as an imminent threat but received no answer.

“You’re here because it’s timely, objective, and independent of political considerations,” he added, to which Gabbard insisted she was adhering to those principles as well, though Ossoff disagreed.

“No, you are dodging the question because to answer candidly to the committee would be to contradict the White House statement,” he asserted.

Following Kent’s resignation, President Trump commented that he had initially regarded Kent as a decent person but felt he was weak in security matters. Trump stated, “But when I read his statement, I realized it was a good thing for him to step aside because he said Iran is not a threat. Iran is a threat, and every country realizes how much of a threat Iran is.”