Top intelligence officials spar with senators at hearing on threats to U.S.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and other top intelligence officials faced tough questioning Wednesday from senators at a hearing focused on national security threats facing the U.S. Senators pressed the officials on conflicting claims emanating from the Trump administration regarding the nuclear threat posed by Iran before the recent war. The hearing highlighted tensions between the intelligence community and the administration over how to characterize Iran's threat level and the accuracy of competing assessments. The dispute underscores disagreements over intelligence assessments that could shape U.S. foreign policy decisions toward Iran. Such clashes between Congress and executive branch intelligence agencies are common when administrations make public statements that diverge from classified intelligence findings.