Rumors Of War: DNI Tulsi Gabbard Unleashes Explosive 2026 Threat Assessment

FULL TRANSCRIPT: DNI Tulsi Gabbard Unleashes Explosive 2026 Threat Assessment — Warns Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan Building Nuclear Missiles Capable of Striking U.S. Homeland

Jim Hᴏft

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard delivered a sweeping and unapologetically direct assessment of the threats facing the United States during her 2026 Annual Threat Assessment briefing.

While legacy terrorist organizations like ISIS and al-Qaeda have been weakened, the threat has evolved, not disappeared.

According to the intelligence assessment:

• “Lone wolf” attackers are now the top threat to the U.S. homeland
• Terror plots are increasingly decentralized and digitally inspired
• Islamist ideology continues spreading globally, including into Western nations

Gabbard warned that extremist networks are now focused on propaganda, recruitment, and remote radicalization, making detection more difficult than ever.

The report outlines a rapidly destabilizing world where America faces multiple adversaries simultaneously.

China

• Rapid military modernization
• AI dominance ambitions
• Strategic goal: capability to seize Taiwan

Russia

• Hypersonic weapons
• Nuclear escalation risks
• Expanding “gray-zone” warfare tactics

Iran

• Regime “intact but degraded” after U.S. strikes
• Likely to rebuild missile and drone programs
• Ongoing hostility toward U.S. and allies

North Korea

• Expanding nuclear arsenal
• Stole $2 BILLION in crypto to fund weapons programs
• Deepening ties with Russia and China

Meanwhile, the intelligence community warns the total missile threat to the U.S. homeland could explode to 16,000+ missiles by 2035.

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US strikes Iranian missile site in Strait of Hormuz using 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions

US strikes Iranian missile site in Strait of Hormuz using 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions

TOBIAS HOLCMAN

The United States on Tuesday attacked Iranian missile sites stationed along the Strait of Hormuz coastline as part of Operation Epic Fury, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

"Hours ago, US forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM posted on X/Twitter.

"The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait," the statement added.

Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait.

The strikes come as sources told The Jerusalem Postthat operations at the Strait of Hormuz could prolong the war for "weeks, if not months."

“This could extend the war by as much as two months,” one source familiar with the discussions said. 

Ships avoid Strait of Hormuz amid fears of Iranian attack

At present, following Iranian threats to target ships, many vessels are avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for the global energy market, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply passes.

Satellite images from the Persian Gulf show numerous ships waiting outside the strait to avoid potential attacks.

Within the Trump administration, ensuring safe navigation through the strait is now being incorporated into its war objectives. Officials are even considering the possibility of a ground operation on Iran’s Kharg Island, located in the center of the strait, after the US military struck targets there over the weekend.

With this in mind, the US military announced that 5,000 Marines will be deployed to the region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that following a phone call with Trump, the two agreed to cooperate on the Strait of Hormuz issue. “There is coordination between our air forces and navies. We will assist both through indirect actions that place immense pressure on the Iranian regime and through direct operations. There are many more surprises ahead.”

At this stage, an Israeli source told the Post that Israel’s assistance regarding the strait is limited to intelligence support rather than kinetic action. “But that can always change,” the official added

IDF Severing Connection Between Iran And Hezbollah

IDF Severing Connection Between Iran And Hezbollah

YAAKOV LAPPIN

The Israel Defense Forces is destroying the operational linkage between Iran and Hezbollah, military sources stated, while stressing that the main effort in the war remains focused on further severely degrading the Islamic Republic's offensive and defensive capabilities.

As part of this effort, Israel is actively working to sever the connection between Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsors by targeting the Quds Force, the expeditionary arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which coordinates between Tehran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, arming, activating and funding it. 

"We put out a warning for them that any Quds Iranian official who is conducting or promoting or directing attacks against Israel from Lebanon, we will find them and carry out strikes against them," said IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani.

Speaking during a briefing to journalists on the 13th day of "Operation Roaring Lion" and the 12th day since Hezbollah joined the conflict, he revealed that most Iranian Quds Force leaders in Lebanon had now either left the country or been eliminated.

On Thursday, the IAF said that, with the guidance of Military Intelligence, it struck and eliminated a commander of the Imam Hussein Division, a force used by the Quds Force to strengthen the Iranian axis and launch attacks on Israeli forces and civilians. It named the commander as Ali Muslim Tabaja. 

"The division is composed of thousands of terrorists across the Middle East and it serves as a force-employment method, providing Hezbollah with significant capabilities," said the military.

"During Operations Roaring Lion [June 2025] and Northern Arrows [September to November 2024], the division took an active part in the fighting, carrying out multiple terrorist attack plans from Lebanese territory in coordination with the Hezbollah terrorist organization. This included the launch of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missile fire toward communities in northern Israel."

Tabaja, it said, was a key figure within the division "for the Hezbollah terrorist organization. He joined the Hezbollah terrorist organization and, over the years, held a series of military roles both within Hezbollah and within the division, including serving as the deputy commander of the division."

The previous commander of the division was eliminated in 2024. The strike also eliminated several additional terror operatives, including the division's deputy commander and its drone officer. 

The IDF confirmed that on Tuesday, it eliminated a commander in the IRGC's missile unit within Hezbollah in Beirut, responsible for key coordination efforts between Hezbollah and Iran. 

Combined Hezbollah-Iranian attack

In his briefing to reporters, Shoshani described Wednesday night's combined Hezbollah-Iranian attack against Israel. "Last night, Hezbollah timed a simultaneous attack with Iran, firing rockets and drones at towns and communities across Israel," Shoshani said.

He noted that the barrage included approximately 200 rockets and 20 UAVs, combined with ballistic missiles fired from Iran.

"These attacks aren't Hezbollah protecting the people of Lebanon. It's Hezbollah protecting a terrorist regime that is 2,000 kilometers away, based on a shared conviction that Israel must cease to exist," Shoshani stated.

Shoshani added that Israeli intelligence had indications of the impending attack, allowing the military to prepare aerial defense systems and the home front. This preparation enabled the IDF to precisely strike more than 50 percent of the launchers used in the first wave, in some cases eliminating the terrorists as they fired.

The rapid response resulted in minimal casualties in the north of Israel, with only two or three direct hits and a few civilians lightly injured.

Since joining the war, Hezbollah has launched over a thousand UAVs, missiles, and rockets at Israel, according to IDF data. Shoshani highlighted that while Hezbollah's capabilities have been diminished in recent years, it remains a dangerous terror force requiring decisive action.

"We've seen hundreds of [elite] Radwan forces attempt to move south again," Shoshani warned, referring to Hezbollah's commando unit. "We've seen Hezbollah try to expand its fire towards us. We've seen Hezbollah try and send terrorists down towards the border area. And that is why it's essential that our troops are in the border area for defensive measures, holding the defense lines, preventing any type of attack towards Israeli civilians."

The IDF has responded with intense airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh suburb of south Beirut and throughout southern Lebanon.

It said that since March 2, Israeli forces have eliminated more than 100 Hezbollah terrorists and 60 Radwan force command and control centers.  

Turning to the primary arena in Iran, Shoshani provided staggering statistics regarding the scale of the ongoing aerial campaign. Over 4,200 sorties have been flown across Iran so far, with Israeli and American aircraft conducting non-stop strikes for 13 days.

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Faith In The Fire: Iran's Underground Church Continues To Grow

Faith In The Fire: Iran's Underground Church Continues To Grow

PNW STAFF

In a land where declaring faith in Christ can cost you everything, something extraordinary is happening. Beneath the watchful eye of an Islamist regime, behind closed doors and whispered prayers, Christianity in Iran is not dying--it is growing. And perhaps most striking of all, recent wars and rising instability in the region are not silencing believers. They are emboldening them.

For decades, Iran has been defined by its strict Islamic governance since the Iranian Revolution. The regime has long insisted that nearly the entire population is Muslim. Official statistics claim 99.5% adherence. But independent research tells a very different story. A landmark survey conducted by the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) revealed that only about one-third of Iranians identify as Shi'ite Muslim, while large portions of the population describe themselves as secular, atheist, or spiritually unaffiliated.

Even more surprising: a growing number are turning to Christianity.

The GAMAAN survey estimated that at least 1.5% of Iran's population identifies as Christian--potentially over a million people. Other organizations that track underground church movements suggest the number could be significantly higher, with some estimates reaching into the millions. This is a remarkable transformation for a country where, just decades ago, only a few hundred Muslim-background believers were known to exist.

But this is not growth born of comfort. It is growth forged in pressure.

Converting from Islam to Christianity in Iran is considered apostasy--a crime that can carry severe consequences, including imprisonment, torture, and even death. House churches are routinely raided. Believers are monitored, interrogated, and often cut off from their families and livelihoods. And yet, despite these risks, the underground church continues to expand.

Why?

Part of the answer lies in disillusionment. Years of political unrest, economic hardship, and strict religious enforcement have led many Iranians to question the system they were raised in. For some, Christianity offers not just a theological alternative, but a personal encounter with hope, grace, and freedom--concepts they feel are absent in their current reality.

But another, more recent factor is accelerating this shift: war.

Over the past year, escalating tensions and regional conflicts have shaken the Middle East with the current climax resulting in the current war with Israel and the United States. In times of war, people ask deeper questions. They wrestle with mortality, meaning, and truth. And according to multiple reports from ministries working with Iranian believers, many are finding answers in the message of Christ.

Even more compelling is how existing Christians are responding.

Rather than retreating in fear, many are becoming more bold.

Leaders connected to Iran's house church networks report that persecution and instability have had a paradoxical effect: they are strengthening the resolve of believers. Faith is no longer casual--it is costly. And because it costs something, it means everything.

Stories continue to emerge of small gatherings in homes, where Scripture is shared quietly but passionately. Of digital evangelism spreading through encrypted apps. Of believers risking arrest to disciple others. In some cases, entire families are coming to faith together, even knowing the dangers they face.

This is not the picture of a dying church. It is the picture of a living one.

Historically, this pattern should not surprise us. The early church described in the New Testament grew not in times of ease, but under the shadow of the Roman persecutions of Christians. What was meant to crush the movement only refined and expanded it.

Iran may be witnessing a modern echo of that same phenomenon.

And yet, this story remains largely hidden from the global stage. Headlines focus on the current conflict and rarely do they capture the quiet spiritual transformation taking place within the country's borders.

But perhaps that is fitting.

Because this is not a movement built on power, platforms, or public recognition. It is built on conviction. On whispered prayers. On lives changed in secret places.

And now, in the midst of war, it is becoming even more visible--if you know where to look.

For the global Church, the implications are profound. Iranian believers are demonstrating a kind of faith that many in the West have never had to exercise--a faith that risks everything, yet advances anyway. A faith that does not shrink in the face of danger, but rises with greater clarity and courage.

The question, then, is not just what is happening in Iran.

It is what this moment reveals to the rest of us.

Because while comfort can dull conviction, pressure has a way of purifying it.

And in Iran today, amid war, persecution, and uncertainty, a quiet revival is unfolding--one that reminds the world that the Gospel does not retreat in darkness.

It shines brighter.

Not Just Oil - Fertilizer Shock Could Be Coming And Raise Global Food Prices

Not Just Oil - Fertilizer Shock Could Be Coming And Raise Global Food Prices

 MICHAEL SNYDER/

If commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains paralyzed for months, we will witness a global food crisis on a scale that many experts would have once considered to be unthinkable. Over the past couple of weeks, there has been much written about how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused the price of oil to rise, has caused the price of natural gas to soar to insane levels and has caused the average price of diesel in the United States to jump above five dollars a gallon. But I think that the bigger story is what the closure of the Strait of Hormuz could mean for global food supplies.

Normally, approximately one-third of all globally-traded nitrogen fertilizer and approximately one-half of all globally-traded sulfur passes through the Strait of Hormuz...

Another world crisis sparked by the war in Iran may also be in the offing. That's because the region's oil and gas production has made it one of the world's leading exporters of nitrogen fertilizers, which are indispensable to the global food system. To produce the chemicals used to grow much of the planet's crops, natural gas is broken down to extract hydrogen, which is combined with nitrogen to make ammonia, and then mixed with carbon dioxide to make urea. All told, nearly a third of the global trade for nitrogen fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz, while almost half of the world's sulfur, essential in producing phosphate fertilizers, also travels through the corridor.

Reading that should chill you to the core.

But that is just part of the story.

Fertilizer producers in other countries will also be forced to shut down if they are not able to get the liquified natural gas that normally comes to them through the Strait of Hormuz...

Already, fertiliser plants in India and Pakistan are facing production declines given the disruption to natural gas supplies from the Middle East. Gulf countries targeted in the war supply nearly all of Pakistan's LNG imports, 72% of Bangladesh's and 53% of India's.

Even if deescalation occurs, the conflict has likely locked in a food price hike in the coming months. The longer the war continues, the greater the shock to food security as energy and fertiliser prices remain elevated.

What we are facing is truly a global problem.

A farmer in Virginia named John Boyd recently admitted to NBC News that local dealers are telling him that "we can't get the fertilizer" that he needs...

John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer in Virginia who grows soybeans, corn and wheat, said his fertilizer supplier recently warned him that shipments may not arrive as expected.

"The dealers are telling me we can't get the fertilizer," Boyd told NBC News in an interview this week. "Due to the war and the bombing through that area, the fertilizer isn't moving."

Fertilizer is essential to food production, he said, and it must be applied before crops are planted.

"If I don't apply fertilizer, that means I won't have the yields to make my crop," Boyd explained.

If one U.S. farmer can't grow enough, that isn't a big deal.

But if hundreds of thousands of U.S. farmers can't grow enough, that will be a full-blown national crisis.

Stacy Simunek, the president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, is warning that we really are facing a worst-case scenario...

The war in Iran has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route not only for oil and gas, but also for fertilizers needed to produce the world's food.

"We cannot grow without it. There is absolutely no way you get around it," said Stacy Simunek, president, Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

If farmers do not grow our food, we do not eat.

The U.S. is actually in better shape than much of the rest of the world, because we produce much of the fertilizer that we use.

But as Simunek has very aptly observed, if this crisis in the Middle East results in a major global fertilizer shortage, there is no way that we are going to be able to feed the entire world...

"Who's going to feed us? Where are we going to get the food to eat? Where are we going to feed the world? This is critical," said Simunek.

Already, hundreds of millions of people around the world go to bed hungry every night.

So a very large disruption to global food production would push us very deep into nightmare territory.

Today, approximately half of the population of the world eats food that is grown using nitrogen fertilizer...

About 4 billion people on the planet eat food grown with synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Roughly half of the global population, in other words, is alive because of these chemicals converted into nutrients for plants, said Lorenzo Rosa, who researches sustainable energy, water, and food systems at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University.

Spring planting season in the northern hemisphere is rapidly approaching.

The fertilizer that would normally be traveling through the Strait of Hormuz now would get into the hands of farmers around the middle of April.

But that isn't going to happen, and that means that a lot of farmers around the world are simply not going to have the fertilizer that they need in 2026.

China produces more fertilizer than anyone else, and there was hope that they could help ease the potential global supply shock that we are facing, but instead they have chosen to implement very strict restrictions on fertilizer exports...

China is tightening controls on fertilizer exports as disruptions linked to the conflict in Iran ripple through global crop-nutrient markets and push prices higher. Authorities have asked exporters to halt outbound shipments of nitrogen-potassium fertilizer blends while reiterating existing restrictions on urea exports, according to people familiar with the matter. The steps appear aimed at protecting domestic supply and stabilizing prices as farmers prepare for the spring planting season, a period when demand typically peaks in the country's vast agricultural sector.

People familiar with the situation said the latest directives have effectively paused overseas shipments of most fertilizer types, including compound varieties that had still been moving abroad after China loosened some urea limits last year. One key exception is ammonium sulfate, which accounted for about half of the country's fertilizer shipments last year and remains unaffected for now.

The Chinese want to make sure that they have enough fertilizer for themselves.

A global scramble for what is available has begun, and nobody can blame the Chinese for putting themselves first.

But what is the rest of the world supposed to do?

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