Trump dismisses U.S. Intel saying Iran not building nuclear weapon

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed an assessment by his own intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, saying: “I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one.”

When asked about Gabbard’s testimony, the president contradicted her statement, claiming his own belief that Iran was on the verge of acquiring nuclear capability.

In her remarks to Congress in March, Gabbard had stated: “The U.S. intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.” The testimony reflected the consensus view of U.S. intelligence agencies at the time.

Trump’s comments come amid escalating tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States, following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian facilities last week and retaliatory missile attacks from Tehran.

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