Washington: The US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday that Pakistan was one of the nations that posed significant nuclear threats to the US, along with China and Russia. She expressed concerns over missile technologies developed by these and several other countries, including Iran.
While testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard claimed that some countries have been developing an array of missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads.
“The intelligence community assesses that Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan have been researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems, with nuclear and conventional payloads, that put our homeland within range,” Gabbard said.
‘Iran’s nuclear threat degraded significantly’
Speaking further, she added that US intelligence expects a significant increase in missiles capable of striking the US, which may surpass 16,000 by 2035, as against nearly 3,000 currently. She also spoke of North Korea’s strengthening ties with Russia and China, suggesting strategic coordination among countries which the US considers as adversaries. She further claimed that Iran’s nuclear threat has degraded significantly.
When asked whether she advised President Donald Trump that Tehran was likely to block the Strait of Hormuz amid the US war with Iran, she deflected questions on the intelligence she provided the Republican president.
“I have not and won’t divulge internal conversations. I will say that those of us within the intelligence community continue to provide the president with all of the best objective intelligence available to inform his decisions,” she said as per news agency AP.
Earlier, Trump had urged US allies to help safeguard the Strait of Hormuz and ease. He, however, complained on Tuesday that NATO and most other American allies have refused to interfere in the matter.