U.S. intelligence chiefs, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, have testified before Congress that the president was informed about Iran's potential reaction to a U.S.-led attack on Iran, including likely retaliatory strikes on Arab neighbors and potential for commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. These assessments prompted the Pentagon to take steps to safeguard troops at bases in the region before the war was launched. Despite President Trump's prediction that the Iranian regime would crumble after the air strikes, Gabbad maintained that the regime was still intact but damaged. Ratcliffe countered that Iran has been a constant threat to the United States for years and would have attacked the US even if Washington had no part in the conflict. The testimony also highlighted differences in how Gabbardo described the intelligence outlook in the run-up to the war compared to her CIA counterpart, Ratcliffe.