Tulsi Gabbard will face tough questions in a congressional hearing after a top intelligence official resigns over Iran war.

The resignation of a top counter-terrorism official over the Iran war has put the spotlight on his boss and political ally, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who built her political career as an outspoken critic of “regime change” wars.

WASHINGTON — A top counterterrorism official’s resignation over the Iran war has put the spotlight on his boss and political ally, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, who built her political career as an outspoken critic of “regime change” wars.

Gabbard was in the hot seat Wednesday, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, a day after Joe Kent, the head of the National Center for Counterterrorism, announced he was stepping down because he could not in “good conscience” support the war and because “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.”

Kent was among the officials in the administration, including Gabbard and Vice President JD Vance, who view themselves as “restraint-minded” Republicans wary of more open-ended wars like those waged in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Presenting the intelligence agencies’ annual report to senators on worldwide threats, Gabbard said Iran’s “conventional military power projection capabilities have largely been destroyed, leaving limited options. Iran’s strategic position has been significantly degraded.”

Even if the regime stays in power, “the intelligence community assesses that internal tensions are likely to increase as Iran’s economy worsens,” Gabbard said. She said the regime would likely begin an effort to rebuild its arsenal.