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“There was no intelligence indicating that on March 1, or any specific date, the Iranians planned a significant surprise attack, akin to a 9/11 or Pearl Harbor scenario targeting one of our bases,” Kent remarked.
“They approach escalation with extreme caution,” he added.
Kent also highlighted that since 2004, the Iranian regime has adhered to a fatwa prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons.
“We had no intelligence suggesting that this fatwa was being violated,” he noted.
“I don’t believe the ayatollah feared for his life,” Kent observed.
“Not because he’s some crazy lunatic, but because he knew if he was killed the regime would survive.”
After his resignation yesterday, Trump said Kent was “very weak on security”.
Trump appointed Kent to the role last year.
Kent was a controversial appointment by Trump, with Democrats concerned with his deeply conservative views.
“The IC (intelligence community) assesses the regime in Iran appears to be intact, but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities,” Gabbard said.
“The IC assesses that if a hostile regime survives, it will likely seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its military, missiles and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) forces.”
When pushed on whether she believed Iran posed an imminent threat, Gabbard deflected the question.
“The only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president,” she said.
The conflict is now entering its 20th day with no sign of abating.
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