New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Friday publicly rebuked his own Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, along with the broader intelligence community, for what he claimed was a misjudgment of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Speaking at an event in New Jersey, Trump dismissed Gabbard’s March testimony in which she stated that Iran is not actively developing a nuclear weapon. “My intelligence community was wrong,” he declared, sharply contradicting their assessment.
Reasons for the disagreement
The dispute erupted due to a widening rift within the administration. Gabbard had testified before Congress that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, had not authorised a nuclear weapons program and that US intelligence agencies had found no evidence of one.
The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division. 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… pic.twitter.com/mYxjpJY2ud
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 20, 2025
Nevertheless, Trump maintains that Iran is “in the late stages” of nuclear development and already possesses enough enriched uranium to assemble a bomb within “weeks.”
This internal clash in the White House comes amid intensifying military conflict between Israel and Iran. Earlier this month, Israel carried out deep strikes into Iranian territory, targeting nuclear facilities near Isfahan and Natanz. In retaliation, Tehran launched missile and drone strikes on Israeli positions.
Trump’s caution on US involvement and Iran’s nuclear intentions
While criticising Iran, Trump has also expressed reluctance to commit the US to full-scale military operations in support of Israel. Drawing a parallel to the aftermath of US intervention in Libya, he warned against creating “another Libya,” reportedly signalling a preference for limited action, such as the use of bunker-buster bombs, over broader regime-change operations, according to The New York Times.
Amid these escalating tensions, Iran has refused to return to nuclear negotiations until Israeli strikes cease.
Trump further questioned the legitimacy of Iran’s civilian nuclear program, stating, “They’re sitting on top of one of the largest piles of oil in the world. I just don’t know why they’d need it for civilian purposes, he said while speaking to the reporters.
