US intelligence says Iran regime ‘more hardline’ despite conflict: Report

ISTANBUL

US intelligence assessments say Iran’s regime has become “more hardline” despite two weeks of Israeli and US attacks, and is likely to “remain in place for now,” according to a report.

A report by The Washington Post on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter, said US intelligence findings show that US-Israeli attacks since Feb. 28 have not created overt “cracks or defections” within Iran’s power structure.

The sources said that while the attacks have weakened Iran militarily, they have not led to a breakdown within the government but instead contributed to a more “entrenched” system under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The report said that US intelligence predicted Iran’s regime “will remain intact and possibly even emboldened, believing it stood up to Trump and survived,” before US President Donald Trump “gave the go-ahead to jointly launch the war with Israel.”

It also said that US allies in the region are “angered and alarmed” by the prolonged conflict and their exposure to direct Iranian retaliation, adding that civilian infrastructure in regional countries is under threat.

Hostilities in the region have escalated since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing about 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties, damaging infrastructure and disrupting global markets and aviation.