---
title: "US Intelligence Chief: Iran 'Degraded but Intact' and Still Able to Strike US Interests"
date: 2026-03-18
modified: 2026-03-20
author: ""
url: https://panamadaily.news/iran-attack-capability-gabbard-intel/
categories:
  - "Politics"
  - "World"
tags:
  - "Iran"
  - "Middle East"
  - "Operation Epic Fury"
  - "Tulsi Gabbard"
  - "US intelligence"
---

# US Intelligence Chief: Iran 'Degraded but Intact' and Still Able to Strike US Interests

## What Happened

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that Iran’s government, while weakened since the conflict began, remains capable of striking US and allied interests in the Middle East.

## What Gabbard Said

In her opening statement to the committee, Gabbard said: “The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury.” She also warned that Tehran and its proxies retain the capability to attack US and allies’ interests across the region.

## Background

Gabbard’s remarks came amid an ongoing military campaign that she identified as Operation Epic Fury, a US-Israel operation that has been in effect since the war began on February 28. Her assessment framed Iran’s leadership as damaged by the campaign but not toppled.

## What This Means

The intelligence chief’s assessment underscores continued risks for US forces, partners and commercial interests in the Middle East while suggesting Iran has not been fully incapacitated. For Washington and its allies, the message is that vigilance and contingency planning remain necessary even after sustained military pressure.

For Panama and Latin America, the immediate effects are likely indirect: renewed instability in the Middle East can influence global energy markets, shipping routes and investor confidence. Those shifts may have knock-on impacts for Panama’s trade and logistics sectors—particularly the Panama Canal and related freight flows—although Gabbard’s statement does not identify any direct threats to the Western Hemisphere.

## Outlook

Gabbard’s public assessment to the Senate Intelligence Committee is a snapshot of US intelligence judgment at this stage of the conflict. It signals that US policymakers continue to view Iran as a functioning, if degraded, regional actor capable of projecting force through its own military and proxy networks.

Officials and analysts will likely use such testimony to inform force posture, diplomatic engagements and contingency planning for protecting US personnel and allied partners. The wider implications for regional security dynamics and global markets will depend on how the situation evolves and whether further military or diplomatic actions follow.