WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. intelligence chiefs testified before the Senate and House Intelligence Committees on March 20 and 21, 2026, about intelligence assessments related to the Iran conflict. Directors Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe told members of Congress that the White House was informed about potential retaliatory strikes on Arab neighbors if Iran were attacked and that Iran could threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Intelligence chiefs told lawmakers that the White House had been briefed on how Iran would likely retaliate against its neighbors if it came under attack. They also told lawmakers that Iran could drive up oil prices and disrupt global supply chains.

According to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, intelligence assessments prompted the Pentagon to take steps to safeguard troops at regional bases before the war began. He told the House committee that intelligence indicated that if a conflict occurred between Iran and Israel, the United States would be immediately attacked regardless of whether the United States stayed out of that conflict. "I think Iran has been a constant threat to the United States for an extended period of time, and posed an immediate threat at this time," Ratcliffe said during the hearings.

"To be clear, the president's objectives with respect to Operation Epic Fury did not include regime change," Ratcliffe said. "That may be different from what Israel's objectives were."

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard suggested that the U.S. and Israeli governments had different objectives in the military campaign. She said that based on public statements, Israel's campaign focused on targeting Iranian leaders and the regime while the U.S. campaign focused on strikes against Iran's missile network and other military targets.

Gabbard told lawmakers that the Iranian regime remained intact but was damaged. She said that Iran's capabilities had been largely degraded but that the regime could still threaten passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Neither Gabbard nor Ratcliffe directly answered when asked if Iran could have intercontinental ballistic missiles within six months. He said that Iran's missile arsenal could hit targets in the Middle East and Europe and represented a growing threat. Gabbard said in a media interview that Iran could use its space launch program to begin building a viable intercontinental ballistic missile before 2025 if it pursued that capability.

Gabbard told lawmakers that she would not assess whether intelligence showed Iran presented an urgent danger or was poised to attack the United States, stating that only the commander in chief could decide if the country faced an imminent threat.