A rare and public fracture has emerged within the highest levels of the US national security establishment , as director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Saturday revised her stance on Iran's nuclear ambitions, hours after being directly contradicted by President Donald Trump.
In a striking turn, Gabbard posted on X that her earlier testimony to Congress, where she said that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, had been taken "out of context." She acknowledged that US intelligence now believes Iran could have a nuclear weapon "within weeks to months" if it decides to finalise assembly.
"The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division," Gabbard wrote. "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalise the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree."
Her statement came after a sharp rebuke from President Trump, who told reporters Friday, "She is wrong," in response to her previous assertion that Iran is not actively building a nuclear weapon. The president had earlier dismissed her analysis outright, saying, "I don't care what she says," during a press interaction earlier in the week.
The disagreement comes at a particularly sensitive moment, as the White House weighs its strategic posture in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict . Trump's public alignment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long warned of Iran's nuclear capabilities, further highlights the rift within the administration.
Despite the public back-and-forth, officials within the administration have attempted to downplay the tension. They emphasised that uranium enrichment by Iran does bring it closer to a weapons threshold, even if the final steps toward weaponisation have not been confirmed.
A source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters that the intelligence community's assessment has not undergone a fundamental change. According to the source, spy agencies still believe that Iran would need up to three years to develop a deliverable nuclear warhead capable of striking a target.
In a striking turn, Gabbard posted on X that her earlier testimony to Congress, where she said that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, had been taken "out of context." She acknowledged that US intelligence now believes Iran could have a nuclear weapon "within weeks to months" if it decides to finalise assembly.
"The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division," Gabbard wrote. "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalise the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree."
Her statement came after a sharp rebuke from President Trump, who told reporters Friday, "She is wrong," in response to her previous assertion that Iran is not actively building a nuclear weapon. The president had earlier dismissed her analysis outright, saying, "I don't care what she says," during a press interaction earlier in the week.
The disagreement comes at a particularly sensitive moment, as the White House weighs its strategic posture in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict . Trump's public alignment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long warned of Iran's nuclear capabilities, further highlights the rift within the administration.
Despite the public back-and-forth, officials within the administration have attempted to downplay the tension. They emphasised that uranium enrichment by Iran does bring it closer to a weapons threshold, even if the final steps toward weaponisation have not been confirmed.
A source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters that the intelligence community's assessment has not undergone a fundamental change. According to the source, spy agencies still believe that Iran would need up to three years to develop a deliverable nuclear warhead capable of striking a target.
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