New intelligence reports assess that Iran has grown more confident in its abilities to attack targets in the Middle East.

Posted by Deadline: White House, Sep 7, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 3 support4 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 85%

Deadline: White HouseSep 7, 2026

The claim is a faithful extraction from the passage and matches the New York Times report (Sept. 4, 2026), syndicated by Moneycontrol and Ynet, that new U.S. intelligence assessments found Iran more confident in its ability to attack targets across the Middle East.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… Tell is viewed in the Pentagon as having a good relationship with Pete Hegseth and takes the position following months of tension between the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and Driscoll. This now leaves the Army without a Senate-confirmed leader, as new intelligence reports assess that Iran has grown more confident in its abilities to attack targets in the Middle East and prolong Donald Trump's war of choice in Iran. Let's bring into our coverage MSN military analyst and retired Army Lieutenant General Mark Hurtling. He's the author of If I Don't Return, A Father's War-time Journal. Tom Nichols is also with us. …

Deadline: White House · Sep 7, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. The New York Times reported on Sept. 4, 2026 that Iran 'has grown more confident in its ability to attack targets in the Middle East,' according to U.S. intelligence reports in recent weeks.[3]

Supports. Moneycontrol and Ynet independently relayed the same assessments, citing officials briefed on the intelligence that Tehran is more confident in its ability to strike American and other targets across the Middle East.[4][5]

Context. Later October reporting (Reuters, Boston Globe, ISW) describes Iranian efforts to target US personnel as substantially increased and at 'advanced stages,' consistent with the earlier confidence assessments.[1][6][7]

Context. The AP analysis of Iranian strikes on US bases through August shows Iran's attacks were significant in scope, which is consistent with growing operational capability, though it does not directly address the September intelligence assessment.[2]