Trump Challenges Gabbard Over Claims on Iranian Nuclear Weapons

President Donald Trump and his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, appear to have publicly disagreed on the subject of Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities.

Reports from Washington, D.C., indicate that President Trump made these comments during an impromptu press briefing aboard Air Force One while returning from the G7 summit in Canada. When questioned about Tehran’s progress in the development of nuclear weapons, the President asserted that Iran was “very close” to achieving this alarming goal.

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, citing an earlier assessment made by Gabbard, challenged the President’s assertion. “You’ve always said that you don’t believe Iran should be able to have a nuclear weapon,” Collins stated. “But how close do you personally think that they were to getting one?” President Trump remained firm in his belief, responding, “Very close.”

The significance becomes clear when we consider the contrasting viewpoint from Intelligence Director Gabbard. Earlier this year, in March, she testified before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, stating, “The IC [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khomeini has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.” This indicates a clear divergence between the President’s views and those of his Director of National Intelligence.

This development follows earlier reports of conflict between Gabbard and Trump on the issue of Iran. Back in January 2020, Gabbard, then a registered Democrat, criticized Trump via social media for ordering airstrikes that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force.

This public disagreement between the President and the Intelligence Director raises important questions about the cohesiveness of the current administration’s stance on the globally significant issue of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. As the world watches, clarity, consistency, and accuracy in our government’s communication are paramount.