State Department tells Americans worldwide to 'exercise increased caution'

Iran’s regime is “largely degraded” but “appears to be intact,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Gabbard noted that although Iran can attack the U.S. and allies in the Middle East, it will take years to rebuild its missile program.

“The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities,” Gabbard said. “Its conventional military power projection capabilities have largely been destroyed, leaving limited options. Iran's strategic position has been significantly degraded.”

“Its regional power projection capabilities have been destroyed, leaving limited options," Gabbard said.

She also warned that while “internal tensions are likely to increase” inside Iran as its “economy worsens.” And, the director said, if “hostile regime survives it will likely seek to begin a year's long effort to rebuild its military, missiles and UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] forces."

The fire caused by Israeli strikes on the gas refineries in Iran is contained, the governor of Asaluyeh, Iran, said Wednesday, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

"To prevent the fire from spreading, the damaged phases were taken out of production," the governor said, adding that the remaining fire and smoke are caused by residual gases in the pipes and will extinguish automatically once the gases have fully cleared.

Iran's Ministry of Oil said that some of the facilities in Asluyeh have been damaged, with cooling and fire extinguishing operations resulting from the attacks underway.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported due to this attack, according to the ministry's report.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued evacuation orders for energy assets in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Wednesday, according to semi-official Mehr News Agency.

This comes after local authorities in southern Iran confirmed attacks on the country's gas refinery facilities in Asaluyeh.

"These facilities have become direct and legitimate targets and will be targeted in the coming hours. Therefore, all citizens, residents and employees are requested to leave these areas immediately and move to a safe distance without any delay," the IRGC said in an evacuation order Wednesday.

"Previously, clear and repeated warnings were given to your rulers about entering this dangerous path and gambling with the fate of their nations," the IRGC said.

Reacting to the attack on the gas refineries of Iran, spokesperson for Khatam al Anbiya, command headquarters of the Iranian armed forces, said that Tehran will "strongly attack the source of aggression."

"We consider targeting the fuel, energy and gas infrastructure of the country of origin legitimate for ourselves and will retaliate strongly at the first opportunity," spokesman of Khatam al Anbiya said Wednesday, according to Tasnim News Agency.