Latest news with #TrumpGabbard
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Blasts Tulsi Gabbard as ‘Wrong' About Iran Nuclear Capabilities
President Donald Trump took direct aim at his Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday amid questions about how close Iran is to obtaining a nuclear weapon. The U.S. intelligence community has stood by its opinion that Iran has a large stockpile of enriched uranium but isn't close to building a nuclear weapon, but the president disputes that. A reporter asked the president what intelligence he had that Iran was building a weapon, because his intelligence community did not have evidence. 'Well then my intelligence community is wrong,' Trump said before asking the reporter who in his intelligence community had said that. When Gabbard was named, Trump blasted back: 'She's wrong.' It was the president's most direct criticism of his own director of national intelligence after he also told reporters on Tuesday he did not care what Gabbard had said about Iran's nuclear capabilities. Gabbard testified before Congress in March that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, but the president rejected that this week, and said he believes Iran is close to having a weapon. Earlier this week, the White House posted a video of Gabbard testifying on Iran, but it did not include her explicitly stating the U.S. intel community did not believe Iran was building a nuclear weapon. The president was speaking to reporters Friday afternoon after arriving in Morristown, New Jersey, to attend a Friday-evening fundraiser at his golf club. It was Trump's first public comment since he announced in a statement that he would make a decision on the U.S. getting involved in Iran within two weeks, as the conflict with Israel escalates. 'We're ready, willing, and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens,' Trump said. Trump indicated the two-week deadline was his decided-upon timeframe to see if people 'come to their senses.' Trump said he was open to a ceasefire while potential negotiations take place but did not call for one directly. 'It's very hard to stop,' Trump said. 'Israel's doing well in terms of war, and I think you would say that Iran is doing less well. It's a little bit hard to get somebody to stop.' The president would not talk about the possibility of sending in ground forces, but he did say it was the last thing he'd want to do. The president said he's 'always a peacemaker' but argued it doesn't mean you don't need 'toughness to make some peace.'
Malay Mail
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘She's wrong': Trump disputes spy chief Gabbard's take on Iran's nuclear programme
WASHINGTON, June 21 — US President Donald Trump said yesterday that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was wrong in suggesting there was no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Trump contested intelligence assessments relayed earlier this year by his spy chief that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon when he spoke with reporters at an airport in Morristown, New Jersey. 'She's wrong,' Trump said. In March, Gabbard testified to Congress that the US intelligence community continued to believe that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon. 'The (intelligence community) continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,' she said. Yesterday, Gabbard said in a post on the social media platform X that: '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.' She said the media has taken her March testimony 'out of context' and was trying to 'manufacture division.' The White House has said Trump would weigh involvement in the Iran–Israel conflict over the next two weeks. On Tuesday, Trump made similar comments to reporters about Gabbard's assessment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified a week of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets by saying Tehran was on the verge of having a warhead. Iran denies developing nuclear weapons, saying its uranium enrichment programme is only for peaceful purposes. In March, Gabbard also described Iran's enriched uranium stockpile as unprecedented for a state without such weapons and said the government was watching the situation closely. She also said Iran had started discussing nuclear weapons in public, 'emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus.' A source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters the March assessment presented by Gabbard has not changed. The source said US spy services judged it would take up to three years for Iran to build a warhead with which it could hit a target of its choice. David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector, questioned the revised view offered by Gabbard yesterday, estimating it would take Iran at least six months to produce a crude nuclear 'device' that could not be delivered by a missile. To produce a nuclear weapon that could be delivered on target by missile would take Iran at least one to two years, said Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. Trump has frequently disavowed the findings of US intelligence agencies, which he and his supporters have charged — without providing proof — are part of a 'deep state' cabal of US officials opposed to his presidency. Gabbard, a fierce Trump loyalist, has been among the president's backers who have aired such allegations. The Republican president repeatedly clashed with US spy agencies during his first term, including over an assessment that Moscow worked to sway the 2016 presidential vote in his favour and his acceptance of Russian President Vladimir Putin's denials. — Reuters
Malay Mail
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘She's wrong': Trump disputes spy chief Gabbard's take on Iran's nuclear program
WASHINGTON, June 21 — US President Donald Trump said yesterday that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was wrong in suggesting there was no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Trump contested intelligence assessments relayed earlier this year by his spy chief that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon when he spoke with reporters at an airport in Morristown, New Jersey. 'She's wrong,' Trump said. In March, Gabbard testified to Congress that the US intelligence community continued to believe that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon. 'The (intelligence community) continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,' she said. Yesterday, Gabbard said in a post on the social media platform X that: '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.' She said the media has taken her March testimony 'out of context' and was trying to 'manufacture division.' The White House has said Trump would weigh involvement in the Iran–Israel conflict over the next two weeks. On Tuesday, Trump made similar comments to reporters about Gabbard's assessment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified a week of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets by saying Tehran was on the verge of having a warhead. Iran denies developing nuclear weapons, saying its uranium enrichment programme is only for peaceful purposes. In March, Gabbard also described Iran's enriched uranium stockpile as unprecedented for a state without such weapons and said the government was watching the situation closely. She also said Iran had started discussing nuclear weapons in public, 'emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus.' A source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters the March assessment presented by Gabbard has not changed. The source said US spy services judged it would take up to three years for Iran to build a warhead with which it could hit a target of its choice. David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector, questioned the revised view offered by Gabbard yesterday, estimating it would take Iran at least six months to produce a crude nuclear 'device' that could not be delivered by a missile. To produce a nuclear weapon that could be delivered on target by missile would take Iran at least one to two years, said Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. Trump has frequently disavowed the findings of US intelligence agencies, which he and his supporters have charged — without providing proof — are part of a 'deep state' cabal of US officials opposed to his presidency. Gabbard, a fierce Trump loyalist, has been among the president's backers who have aired such allegations. The Republican president repeatedly clashed with US spy agencies during his first term, including over an assessment that Moscow worked to sway the 2016 presidential vote in his favour and his acceptance of Russian President Vladimir Putin's denials. — Reuters
Al Arabiya
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Trump disavows spy chief Gabbard's take on Iran's nuclear program
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was wrong in suggesting there was no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Trump contested intelligence assessments relayed earlier this year by his spy chief that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon when he spoke with reporters at an airport in Morristown, New Jersey. 'She's wrong,' Trump said. In March, Gabbard testified to Congress that the US intelligence community continued to believe that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon. 'The [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,' she said. On Friday, Gabbard said in a post on the social media platform X that: '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 assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree.' She said the media has taken her March testimony 'out of context' and was trying to 'manufacture division.' The White House has said Trump would weigh involvement in the Iran–Israel conflict over the next two weeks. On Tuesday, Trump made similar comments to reporters about Gabbard's assessment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified a week of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets by saying Tehran was on the verge of having a warhead. Iran denies developing nuclear weapons, saying its uranium enrichment program is only for peaceful purposes. In March, Gabbard also described Iran's enriched uranium stockpile as unprecedented for a state without such weapons and said the government was watching the situation closely. She also said Iran had started discussing nuclear weapons in public, 'emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus.' A source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters the March assessment presented by Gabbard has not changed. The source said US spy services judged it would take up to three years for Iran to build a warhead with which it could hit a target of its choice. David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector, questioned the revised view offered by Gabbard on Friday, estimating it would take Iran at least six months to produce a crude nuclear 'device' that could not be delivered by a missile. To produce a nuclear weapon that could be delivered on target by missile would take Iran at least one to two years, said Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. Trump has frequently disavowed the findings of US intelligence agencies, which he and his supporters have charged — without providing proof — are part of a 'deep state' cabal of US officials opposed to his presidency. Gabbard, a fierce Trump loyalist, has been among the president's backers who have aired such allegations. The Republican president repeatedly clashed with US spy agencies during his first term, including over an assessment that Moscow worked to sway the 2016 presidential vote in his favor.
Arab News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Trump says his intel chief was ‘wrong' to believe Iran was not building a nuclear weapon
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Friday that his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was 'wrong' when she previously said that the US believed Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon, and he suggested that it would be 'very hard to stop' Israel's strikes on Iran in order to negotiate a possible ceasefire. Trump has recently taken a more aggressive public stance toward Tehran as he's sought more time to weigh whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility. Buried under a mountain, the facility is believed to be out of the reach of all but America's 'bunker-buster' bombs. After landing in New Jersey for an evening fundraiser for his super political action committee, Trump was asked about Gabbard's comments to Congress in March that US spy agencies believed that Iran wasn't working on nuclear warheads. The president responded, 'Well then, my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?' Informed that it had been Gabbard, Trump said, 'She's wrong.' In a subsequent post on X, Gabbard said her testimony was taken out of context '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 assembly,' she wrote. 'President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree.' Still, disavowing Gabbard's previous assessment came a day after the White House said Trump would decide within two weeks whether the US military would get directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran. It said seeking additional time was 'based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.' But on Friday, Trump himself seemed to cast doubts on the possibility of talks leading to a pause in fighting between Israel and Iran. He said that, while he might support a ceasefire, Israel's strikes on Iran could be 'very hard to stop.' Asked about Iran suggesting that, if the US was serious about furthering negotiations, it could call on Israel to stop its strikes, Trump responded, 'I think it's very hard to make that request right now.' 'If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing,' Trump said. 'But we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens.' The president later added, 'It's very hard to stop when you look at it.' 'Israel's doing well in terms of war. And, I think, you would say that Iran is doing less well. It's a little bit hard to get somebody to stop,' Trump said. Trump campaigned on decrying 'endless wars' and has vowed to be an international peacemaker. That's led some, even among conservatives, to point to Trump's past criticism of the US invasion of Iraq beginning in 2003 as being at odds with his more aggressive stance toward Iran now. Trump suggested the two situations were very different, though. 'There were no weapons of mass destruction. I never thought there were. And that was somewhat pre-nuclear. You know, it was, it was a nuclear age, but nothing like it is today,' Trump said of his past criticism of the administration of President George W. Bush. He added of Iran's current nuclear program, 'It looked like I'm right about the material that they've gathered already. It's a tremendous amount of material.' Trump also cast doubts on Iran's developing nuclear capabilities for civilian pursuits, like power generation. 'You're sitting on one of the largest oil piles anywhere in the world,' he said. 'It's a little bit hard to see why you'd need that.'
