Tulsi Gabbard's Iran war statement highlights differences in US and Israel objectives as tensions escalate and nuclear concerns remain central to conflict.3 min readMar 19, 2026 09:28 PM IST First published on: Mar 19, 2026 at 09:28 PM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookDirector of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies before the Senate Committee on Intelligence hearings to examine worldwide threats on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo)US National Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, during a hearing in front of the House intelligence committee, said that the objectives of America and Israel during the military campaign in Iran are not the same as Tehran struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan, world’s largest LNG hub on Thursday.Gabbard asserted during the hearing that Iran “maintained the intention to rebuild its infrastructure and nuclear enrichment capability” following US-Israeli strikes across Iran’s nuclear facilities in June last year.Also Read US-Israel and Iran War. Follow Live UpdatesHowever, during the House Intelligence Committee’s hearing, Gabbard did not specify if Iran was making efforts to rebuild its nuclear capability, just that the Islamic nation had the intention to become a nuclear state.From left, FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Intelligence Agency Director James Adams, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Acting Commander of the US Cyber Command William Hartman, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe are seated before the Senate Committee on Intelligence hearings to examine worldwide threats on Capitol Hill Wednesday in Washington. (AP Photo)A nuclear threat from Iran is among one of the prime reasons that President Donald Trump’s administration has cited as rationale for launching military operations against Tehran.When Gabbard was asked if there’s any evidence that Iran intended to preemptively attack the US, the National Intelligence director refrained from answering it and added that it was up to the president to determine what is an imminent threat.Story continues below this ad‘US and Israel have different objectives in Iran war’Tulsi Gabbard on Thursday said that the objectives laid out by the US and Israeli administration for the military operation against Iran “are different”. She added that she doesn’t know if Tel Aviv would support making a deal with Iran.“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.“We can see through the operations that the Israeli government has been focused on disabling the Iranian leadership. The president has stated that his objectives are to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles launching capability, their ballistic missile production capability, and their navy,” the National Intelligence director added.Gabbard further said that she she doesn’t “know Israel’s position” with respect to making a deal with Iran.AdvertisementLoading Recommendations...Live BlogDhurandhar 2 Movie Review, Box Office Collection LIVE Updates: After SRK’s Jawan, Animal, Ranveer Singh’s film surpasses first day collection of Prabhas’ Salaar; set to cross Rs 100 mark7 minutes agoNews Today Live Updates, 19 March | ‘It takes money to kill bad guys’: Pentagon’s massive $200 billion Iran war request | Hegseth’s top 10 quotes11 minutes agoDhurandhar 2 Movie Review Live Updates: Jr NTR heaps praise on Ranveer Singh, says ‘He delivered an absolute masterclass’14 minutes agoUS-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: Haifa oil refinery in Israel damaged following Iranian missile strike15 minutes agoUstaad Bhagat Singh Movie Review, Box Office LIVE Updates: Pawan Kalyan-starrer earns over Rs 22 cr despite mixed reviews16 minutes ago