In a recent congressional testimony, Tulsi Gabbard, the national intelligence director, unequivocally stated that Iran was not currently building a nuclear weapon. Despite Iran enriching uranium to higher levels, its supreme leader had not reactivated the suspended nuclear program, a conclusion drawn by U.S. intelligence agencies.
However, in a dramatic departure from this intelligence assessment, President Donald Trump, returning from the Group of Seven summit, expressed skepticism onboard his flight back to Washington. He claimed that regardless of Gabbard’s statements, he believed Iran was “very close” to developing a nuclear bomb, positioning his views more in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has consistently regarded a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat.
The contradiction between President Trump and his intelligence officials emerged against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. Despite the conflicting narratives, administration officials attempted to minimize the disparity, underscoring that uranium enrichment is indeed a step that could lead Iran toward weaponization. Gabbard later clarified that media reports had skewed her testimony, aligning herself with Trump’s viewpoint by claiming they were, in fact, in agreement.
In her March testimony to Congress, Gabbard had reiterated that the intelligence community believed Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon and that the Supreme Leader had not reinstated the program that was halted in 2003. Moreover, she highlighted that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium had reached unprecedented levels.
Recently, Gen. Erik Kurilla informed Congress that Iran, within a short period, could accumulate enough nuclear material for ten weapons, though the timeline to assemble an actual bomb remains unclear. In light of this, senior officials acknowledged the validity of Trump’s concerns regarding the extent of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities.
This public disagreement recalls previous instances during Trump’s initial presidency when he clashed with U.S. intelligence agencies, who he perceived as part of a “deep state” thwarting his agenda. Notably, in 2018, Trump contradicted U.S. intelligence by supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial of meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections.
The discord concerning Iran’s nuclear intentions was significant, especially considering Trump’s second administration is composed of loyalists rather than traditional establishment figures. Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic Congresswoman who switched to endorse Trump in 2022, faced a narrow Senate confirmation due to her limited experience in intelligence roles.
Senator Mark Warner, a key figure in the Senate Intelligence Committee, remarked that Gabbard’s March statement about Iran not actively seeking a nuclear bomb had not been challenged by any recent intelligence updates. This sentiment was echoed by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who continually warned of Iran’s potential to create multiple nuclear bombs, even as Iran claimed its nuclear pursuits were purely peaceful.
Additionally, previous assessments during the Biden administration echoed the conclusion that Iran was not building a weapon, though it acknowledged the country’s enhanced capability to pursue one by expanding its enriched uranium supplies and advancing centrifuge technology.
Beyond nuclear concerns, Trump’s immigration policies have also diverged from intelligence evaluations. Trump invoked a historic wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants, citing alleged alliances between the Tren de Aragua gang and the Venezuelan government—claims not supported by a recent intelligence assessment. Following this, Gabbard dismissed two senior intelligence officers involved in the assessment, attributing their removal to their opposition to Trump.
In the aftermath, the White House issued a statement from Gabbard backing the president’s actions, defending Trump’s measures as pivotal to national security by asserting that his immigration moves had removed dangerous elements from American cities.