Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) of the United States, has issued a stark warning on rising global security threats, naming Russia, China, North Korea, and Pakistan as the most significant nuclear threats faced by the United States, News agency Reuters reported.
The statement comes even after Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif praised Donald Trump as a man of peace and saviour of South Asia, reviving disputed ceasefire claims involving India at the Board of Peace summit in Washington earlier in February.
In her assessment, Gabbard told lawmakers that the U.S. intelligence community expects a sharp increase in the number of missiles capable of striking the United States, projecting the figure to exceed 16,000 by 2035, up from the current estimate of around 3,000.
Highlighting evolving geopolitical alignments, she noted that North Korea is strengthening its partnerships with Russia and China, raising concerns over coordinated military capabilities among U.S. adversaries.
Gabbard also addressed the situation involving Iran, stating that its nuclear enrichment programme was “obliterated” in the June 2025 strikes, which U.S. officials have said caused severe damage to key facilities and could take years to rebuild.
However, she cautioned that Iran and its regional proxies continue to pose a significant threat, retaining the capability to target U.S. forces and allied interests across the Middle East. She further warned that if the Iranian regime remains in power, it is likely to undertake a prolonged effort to rebuild its missile and drone capabilities over the coming years.
The remarks, delivered in prepared testimony to a Senate panel, underscore mounting concerns within the U.S. intelligence establishment about both the rapid expansion of global missile arsenals and the persistence of regional threats, even after major military strikes.
