Key points
• Says China biggest threat
• Iran not building nukes
ISLAMABAD: The latest US Annual Intelligence Assessment has expressed serious concern at Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP)’s capabilities, historic ties with Al-Qaida and previous support to target the US.
Today, @DNIGabbard released the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment (ATA) of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Read the assessment here: https://t.co/Uh2Bj0WvUB pic.twitter.com/1werdyi2ZD
— Office of the DNI (@ODNIgov) March 25, 2025
TTP Operations
According to the assessment, in South Asia, TTP operations in recent years have focused exclusively on targeting the Government of Pakistan, probably to avoid drawing more counterterrorism pressure. However, TTP’s capabilities, historical ties to al-Qaida, and previous support to operations targeting the United States keep us concerned about the potential future threat.
China biggest threat
According to the assessment, several major state actors present proximate and enduring threats to the United States and its interests in the world, challenging US military and economic strength, regionally and globally.
It underlines, China stands out as the actor most capable of threatening US interests globally, though it is also more cautious than Russia, Iran, and North Korea about risking its economic and diplomatic image in the world by being too aggressive and disruptive. Growing cooperation among these actors expands the threat, increasing the risk that should hostilities with one occur, it may draw in others.
It says President Xi Jinping and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) want to achieve “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by 2049. Beijing will continue to strengthen its conventional military capabilities and strategic forces, intensify competition in space, and sustain its industrial- and technology-intensive economic strategy to compete with US economic power and global leadership.
China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat to US national security.
The PLA has the capability to conduct long-range precision-strikes with conventional weapons against the Homeland’s periphery in the Western Pacific, including Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska.
The PRC remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to US government, private-sector, and critical infrastructure networks. The PRC seeks to compete with the United States as the leading economic power in the world. To do so, the strategy calls for a centralized, state-directed, and nationally resourced approach to dominating global markets and strategic supply chains, limiting foreign competitors, and making other nations dependent on China.
China is using an aggressive, whole-of-government approach, combined with state direction of the private sector, to become a global S&T superpower, surpass the United States, promote self-reliance, and achieve further economic, political, and military gain.
Houthis getting help
According to the assessment, the Houthis have emerged as the most aggressive actor, attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, US and European forces. The Houthis have expanded their reach by broadening partnerships with actors such as Russia and Russian arms brokers, and PRC commercial defence companies, it said.
Iran not building nukes
The assessment on the Iranian nuclear issue states, “We continue to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei has not reauthorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003, though pressure has probably built on him to do so.”
