US Senate panel grills DNI Tulsi Gabbard over Iran nuclear claims

2026-03-19 - 06:30

WASHINGTON – Tulsi Gabbard, Director National Intelligence, came under intense questioning from lawmakers during a hearing of the US Senate Intelligence Committee over her previous statements regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. During the session, committee members challenged Gabbard on remarks she made in June last year following reported strikes on Iran, when she stated that Iran’s nuclear enrichment capability had been completely eliminated. The lawmakers raised concerns over a contradiction between her earlier assertion and a subsequent statement issued by the White House on March 1, which indicated that the United States had initiated a campaign to counter an “immediate threat” from Iran. Senators questioned how such a threat could re-emerge if Iran’s nuclear capability had already been neutralized. Despite repeated queries, Gabbard did not provide a clear explanation, stating that it is the responsibility of the US president to determine whether a threat is imminent. A member of the committee also pointed out that while Gabbard had referenced the claim of eliminating Iran’s nuclear enrichment capability in her written submission, she omitted it during her verbal testimony. In response, Gabbard said the omission was due to time constraints during her remarks.