President Donald Trump has said that his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was "wrong" to say that Iran is not currently building anuclear weapon.
When asked about the claims made by his intelligence community, specifically Gabbard, Trump was clear, telling reporters on Friday:“She’s wrong.”
In March, Gabbard testified in front of Congress that the intelligence community [IC] “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader [Ali] Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003. The IC continues to monitor, closely, if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program."
The testimony has resurfaced as Trump weighs his options regarding a potential U.S. involvement inthe Israel-Iran conflict, as the Middle Eastern countries trade deadly missiles after Israel launched an operation againstIranian military targets and nuclear facilitieson June 13.
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Trump’s latest comments echo those he made to reporters on Air Force One on June 17, when he said he did not “care” about what Gabbard had testified earlier in the year.
“I don’t care what she said, I think they were very close to having one,”Trump saidof his belief that Iran was inching towards having a nuclear weapon.
Central to Trump’s stance regarding Israel’s initial assault on Iran is his belief that Iran has beenmoving closer to nuclear capability. He has plainly said that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump’s stance, bolstered by aMay 31 International Atomic Energy Agency report(that stated Iran had accumulated roughly 120 kg of uranium enriched to 60%, dangerously close to weapons-grade levels of 90%), undermines previous reports by U.S. intelligence, including that of Gabbard, a former Democrat.
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In response to Trump’s new assertion that she was “wrong” in her previous testimony, Gabbardtook to social mediaon Friday, stating that her words had been taken out of context by "dishonest media." Gabbard maintains that she and Trump are on the same page.
"The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division," Gabbard said. "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree."
Attached to the post was a longer video of her testimony, which also included her claims that “Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.”
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Trump reportedly still has “full confidence” in his intelligence team,according toWhite House communications director Steven Cheung, but the open disagreements between Trump and members of his Administration signal splinters over the Israel-Iran conflict.
The President is facing questions from both within and outside the Republican party, as he weighs up his options during aself-imposed two-week deadlineabout whether theU.S. will intervene, despite him campaigning on staying out of wars overseas.
Republican lawmakers Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky have both openly disapproved of any potential U.S. military intervention.
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Meanwhile, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson—a long-time ally of Trump, who evenhit the campaign trailwith him in 2024—has also spoken out against any U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.
Carlson’s initial comments prompted a blistering response from Trump, and their disagreement soon took a personal turn as the feud escalated. While the situation appears to have since settled—Trump said Carlson called and apologized for his “strong” words—it’s clear that the subject of the Israel-Iran conflict and how the U.S. should move forward is proving to be a divisive one.