U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly disagreed with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard over her recent statements regarding Iran’s nuclear activities. Speaking to reporters in Morristown, New Jersey, on Friday, Trump dismissed Gabbard’s earlier testimony suggesting that Tehran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon.
Back in March, Gabbard told Congress that the U.S. intelligence community continued to assess that Iran was not actively building a nuclear bomb. “The intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,” she had stated at the time.
However, in a recent post on X, Gabbard clarified her position, saying that American intelligence now believes Iran has reached a point where it could produce a nuclear weapon within weeks or months if it chooses to complete the process. She reaffirmed her alignment with President Trump’s stance that such an outcome must be prevented.
Gabbard accused the media of distorting her earlier testimony to create division, saying her comments had been taken out of context.
Despite Gabbard’s updated remarks, a source familiar with U.S. intelligence reports indicated that the assessment she presented in March remains unchanged. According to this source, U.S. intelligence agencies estimate it would take Iran up to three years to develop a warhead capable of hitting a chosen target.
David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector, also questioned Gabbard’s revised view. He estimated it would take Iran at least six months to build a basic nuclear device, which would still not be missile-deliverable. Developing a deliverable nuclear weapon, Albright added, would likely require one to two years.
