US Intelligence Chief Says Iranian Regime "Intact But Severely Weakened"

Xinhua News Agency, Washington, March 18 — About three weeks after the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines stated on the 18th that the Iranian regime “remains intact but severely weakened.”

Haines made the statement during a congressional hearing and said Iran’s regional power projection capabilities have been “largely destroyed,” and “choices remaining are limited.”

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence also released a similar assessment in the “Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community 2026.” The report also states that U.S. forces destroyed Iran’s uranium enrichment program in an airstrike last June. Since then, Iran has not attempted to rebuild its uranium enrichment capacity. The entrances to the destroyed underground facilities have been buried and sealed with concrete. (End)