国家情报总监塔尔西·加巴德(Tulsi Gabbard)周四再次回避了伊朗是否对美国构成“迫在眉睫的威胁”的问题，重申了她的观点，即只有唐纳德·特朗普总统才能做出这一决定。
加巴德、中央情报局局长约翰·拉特克利夫、美国联邦调查局局长卡什·帕特尔和其他国家安全官员就全球威胁进行了第二天的作证，这次是在众议院情报委员会面前。
加巴德特别指出，美国和以色列的战争目标不同，并承认德黑兰的新最高领导人比他的父亲更强硬，他的父亲在以色列与美国协调的一次袭击中丧生。
这位情报总监还面临关于她对这场冲突的个人观点以及她过去对伊朗的评论的问题，包括去年她说伊朗没有制造核武器。
加巴德在“迫在眉睫的威胁”上加倍顺从特朗普
加巴德周四加倍强调了她对特朗普总统的评论，即什么构成了对美国的“迫在眉睫的威胁”。
在与加利福尼亚州民主党众议员吉米·戈麦斯(Jimmy Gomez)的交流中，加巴德拒绝回答伊朗是否如特朗普总统所坚持的那样，距离拥有核武器还有几周时间。
“美国人民需要知道这是否是一个迫在眉睫的威胁，是否还有几个星期，是否还有几个月。不要逃避。他们是迫在眉睫的威胁吗?昨天，你说...唯一能决定什么是迫在眉睫的威胁的人是美国总统。你理解袖手旁观的说法吗?”戈麦斯问道。
“是的，我知道，”加巴德说。
“如果总统可以决定并忽略你们在做什么，为什么你们还要工作?”戈麦斯说。
周三，加巴德向参议院情报委员会提供了书面证词，称伊朗“没有努力”重建其核浓缩项目。拉特克利夫周三表示，当美国攻击伊朗时，伊朗构成了“直接威胁”，概述了他评估伊朗正在采取的一系列挑衅行动，包括在与美国进行的谈判中建立导弹
加巴德说，肯特关于以色列的言论令她担忧
有人问加巴德，她是同意还是不同意乔·肯特的辞职信特朗普政府的最高反恐官员因反对战争而辞职。肯特声称，特朗普政府是被以色列拖入战争的，美国没有“迫在眉睫的威胁”。
“他在那封信中说了很多事情，”加巴德在与纽约州共和党众议员埃莉斯·斯特凡尼克(Elise Stefanik)交流时说。
"他指责以色列的声明与你有关吗?"斯特凡尼克问加巴德。
“是的，”加巴德说。
新泽西州民主党众议员乔希·戈特海默(Josh Gottheimer)询问拉特克利夫，如果以色列迫使美国对伊朗采取行动。
“不，”拉特克利夫说。
加巴德说，美国和以色列在伊朗的目标不同
得克萨斯州民主党众议员华金·卡斯特罗(Joaquin Castro)就以色列的战争目标以及这些目标是否与美国的目标一致向加巴德施压
“总统设定的目标与以色列政府设定的目标不同，”加巴德说。
她说，以色列政府专注于削弱伊朗领导层，而特朗普的目标是摧毁伊朗的海军和导弹能力。
当被问及以色列不顾特朗普总统称之为“禁区”而决定袭击伊朗能源基础设施，她认为这是什么原因时，加巴德说，“我不知道这个问题的答案。”
加巴德:伊朗新领导人更强硬，美国更不确定意图
加巴德对议员们说，伊朗新任最高领袖莫杰塔巴·哈梅内伊比他被暗杀的父亲阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊更加强硬。
“所以，强硬派甚至让一些伊朗领导人认为他太咄咄逼人了。难道不对吗?”科罗拉多州的民主党众议员杰森·克劳问加巴德。
“那是情报界的评估，是的，”Gabbard说，他还证实Mojtaba与伊朗革命卫队的强硬派指挥官关系密切，他参与了在最近全国各地的抗议浪潮中下令杀害伊朗抗议者。
克罗总结道，他问“我们是否比60天前更不确定伊朗领导人的立场和他们的意图。”
“这是一个准确的评估，”她回答说。
后来，加巴德在她的证词中指出，莫伊塔巴·哈梅内伊在以色列的袭击中“受了重伤”，因此伊朗领导层的决策“不清楚”。
中央情报局局长拉特克利夫后来被问及，情报界是否向特朗普通报了如果阿里·哈梅内伊被杀，谁将接替他，以及强硬派可能会接替他。拉特克利夫说，在最高领袖被杀的事件中，总统听取了简报，但政权更迭不是史诗般愤怒行动的目标。
加巴德:“高度信任”美国知道伊朗浓缩铀在哪里
加巴德作证说，“情报界”非常确信我们知道它在哪里。"
她说，任何关于保护这些材料的谈话都应该在封闭的环境中进行。
当被问及总统是否听取了“战争对全球供应变化以及石油和天然气价格的影响”的简报时，加巴德说，她“认为是的，但我不能确认他是否听取了这些评估。”
特朗普和其他美国官员表示，确保伊朗永远不会拥有核武器是此次行动的目标之一。这场冲突的一个迫在眉睫的问题是，美国将在多大程度上取回核材料，据信这些核材料被埋在美国袭击的地点之下去年。
加巴德质疑她个人对伊朗的看法，过去的评论
导演被广泛地问及她过去关于与伊朗战争的言论，以及她对当前战争的看法。
在参议院和众议院听证会的开场白中，她表示，她的证词“不代表我个人的观点或意见，而是情报界对美国、我们的家园和我们的利益所面临的威胁的评估。”
众议员戈麦斯就她去年的言论向加巴德施压，称伊朗没有制造核武器，特朗普总统也没有公众的反对当时加巴德是“错误的”
“这是一个简单的答案。你要么袖手旁观你去年说过的话，要么没有，”戈麦斯说。
加巴德在交流中表示，“背景很重要”，她“支持情报界的评估。”
Gabbard doubles down on deferring to Trump on whether Iran posed 'imminent threat'
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Thursday again dodged questions on whether Iran posed an "imminent threat" to the U.S., repeating her view that only President Donald Trump can make that determination.
Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel and other national security officials sat for a second day of testimony on worldwide threats, this time before the House Intelligence Committee.
Gabbard notably said the U.S. and Israel's war goals differ, and acknowledged that the new supreme leader in Tehran is more hardline than his father, who was killed in an Israeli strike coordinated with the U.S.
The intelligence director also faced questions on her personal views on the conflict and her past comments on Iran, including last year when she said Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
Gabbard doubles down in deferring to Trump on 'imminent threat'
Gabbard on Thursday doubled down on her comments deferring to President Trump on what constitutes an "imminent threat" to the U.S.
In an exchange with Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California, Gabbard declined to answer if Iran was weeks away from achieving a nuclear weapon, as President Trump has maintained.
"The American people need to know if this was an imminent threat or not, if they are weeks away or not, if they are months away or not. None of this dodging. Were they an imminent threat? Yesterday, you said ... the only person who can determine what is an imminent threat is the president of the United States. Do you stand by that statement?" Gomez asked.
"Yes, I do," Gabbard said.
"If the president can determine and ignore what you're doing, why do you guys even have a job?" Gomez said.
On Wednesday, Gabbard provided the Senate Intelligence Committee with written testimony that stated Iran made "no efforts" to rebuild its nuclear enrichment program. Ratcliffe on Wednesday said Iran posed an "immediate threat" when the U.S. attacked Iran, outlining a series of provocative actions he assessed Iran to be taking, including a missile buildup during ongoing negotiations with the U.S.
Gabbard says Kent's statements on Israel concern her
Gabbard was asked if she disagreed or agreed with statements made in theresignation letter from Joe Kent, the Trump administration's top counterterrorism official who stepped down over his objections to the war. Kent claimed the Trump administration was pulled into the war by Israel and that there was no "imminent threat" to the U.S.
"He said a lot of things in that letter," Gabbard said during an exchange with Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York.
"Does that statement he made blaming Israel concern you?" Stefanik asked Gabbard.
"Yes," Gabbard said.
Ratcliffe was questioned by Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey if Israel forced the U.S.'s hand to take action against Iran.
"No," Ratcliffe said.
US and Israel objectives in Iran differ, Gabbard says
Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas pressed Gabbard about Israel's goals for the war and whether they are aligned with those of the U.S.
"The objectives that have been laid out by the president are different from the objectives that have been laid out by the Israeli government," Gabbard said.
She said the Israeli government is focused on disabling Iranian leadership, and that Trump's goals are to destroy Iran's navy and missile capabilities.
When asked what she attributes to Israel’s decision to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure despite President Trump calling it "off limits," Gabbard said, "I don't know the answer to that."
Gabbard: Iran's new leader more hardline, US less certain of intentions
Gabbard told lawmakers that Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is more hardline than his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"So, hardline that even some of Iran's leaders thought he was too aggressive. Isn't that correct?" Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado asked Gabbard.
"That is the intelligence community assessment, yes,"Gabbard said, also confirming Mojtaba is close to hardline commanders in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that he was involved in ordering the killing of Iranian protesters in recent waves of protest across the country.
Crow summarized by asking if "we're less certain of the positions of Iranian leadership and their intentions than we were 60 days ago."
"That's an accurate assessment," she replied.
Later in her testimony, Gabbard noted Mojtaba Khamenei was "injured very severely" in an Israeli strike, so the decision making in Iranian leadership is "unclear."
CIA Director Ratcliffe was later asked if the intelligence community briefed Trump on who would succeed Ali Khamenei if he was killed, and the likelihood that a hardliner would be the replacement. Ratcliffe said the president was briefed in the event the supreme leader was killed, but that regime change was not an objective of Operation Epic Fury.
Gabbard: 'High confidence' US knows where Iran's enriched uranium is
Gabbard testified that the "intelligence community" has high confidence that we know where it is."
She said any conversation about securing that material should be reserved for a closed setting.
Asked whether the president was briefed on the "impact of a war on global supply change and the price of oil and gas,” Gabbard said she “believe[s] so, but I can't confirm so if he was briefed on those assessments."
Trump and other U.S. officials have said ensuring Iran never has a nuclear weapon is an objective of the operation. A looming question over the conflict is how far the U.S. will go to retrieve the nuclear material, which is believed to be buried under sites the U.S. strucklast year.
Gabbard questioned on her personal views on Iran, past comments
The director was asked extensively about her past statements about war with Iran, as well as her current views on the existing war.
During her opening remarks in both the Senate and House hearings, she stated that her testimony "does not represent my personal views or opinions, but rather the assessments of the intelligence community of the threats that facing the United States our homeland and our interests."
Rep. Gomez pressed Gabbard on her remarks last year that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon -- and President Trump'spublic pushbackat the time that Gabbard was "wrong."
"It's an easy answer. You either stand by what you said last year or not," Gomez said.
Gabbard said in the exchange that "context matters" and she "stand[s] by the intelligence community assessment."
