Intel chiefs speak as Israel hits Iran's 'terror architect'

The geopolitical landscape shifted violently on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, as the nation’s top intelligence officials faced their first public grilling on Capitol Hill since the start of the Iran War. The hearing marks the first public appearance for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard since the high-profile resignation of NCTC Director Joe Kent, who claimed the administration was "deceived" into a conflict that poses no imminent threat to the U.S. While DNI Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe defended the administration's strategy, the war in the Middle East reached a new level of intensity with the elimination of a key Iranian mastermind.