Ms. Gabbard offered an assessment of the impact so far of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign in Iran, citing major successes against Iran’s military capabilities, while noting that the regime is still intact. But she avoided direct answers about whether the intelligence community had briefed the administration in advance on the likelihood that Iran would launch retaliatory strikes against neighboring oil-producing nations that look to the United States for protection, or close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime pathway through which 20% of the world’s oil flows. She also declined to answer a question about whether Russia was providing Iran with intelligence, saying that would be more appropriately addressed in the classified, nonpublic portion of the hearing. The 19-day war has already resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members.