President Donald Trump stated that Iran was nearing nuclear weapon acquisition.
President Trump asserted that Iran was “very close” to developing nuclear weapons, contradicting Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s assessment.
In late March, Gabbard stated that the US intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.”
When journalists questioned Trump on Tuesday about Gabbard’s position, he responded: “I do not care what she said.”
“I think they [Iran] were very close to having them,” the president emphasized, referring to nuclear weapons.
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who became a Republican during last year’s presidential campaign, was confirmed as the director of national intelligence in February, after significant scrutiny and debate.
Throughout her political career, Gabbard, a former presidential candidate and Iraq War veteran, has been a vocal critic of the US intelligence community, which she now leads, and supported NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One after the G7 summit in Canada, Trump emphasized his goals extended beyond a truce between Israel and Iran.
“I did not say I was looking for a ceasefire. I want a real end, with Iran giving up entirely on nuclear weapons,” he stated.
The president reiterated his warning to Tehran against targeting US military facilities and personnel in the Middle East. “Iran knows not to touch our troops. We would come down so hard if they do anything to our people,” he said.
Asked about potential US military involvement to assist Israel in destroying Iran’s nuclear program, Trump expressed his hope that it would be “wiped out long before that.”
CNN reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources, that US intelligence assessments indicated Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear bomb and was up to three years away from producing one.
Israel justified its recent attack on Iran by claiming Tehran was on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons. Iranian authorities have consistently maintained their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and that they are not developing atomic weapons.
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