After Trump's 2nd rebuke, Tulsi Gabbard says Iran could build bomb soon

After a second public rebuke from Donald Trump, US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard has clarified her Iran remarks, saying Tehran could build a nuclear weapon within weeks to months if it chooses

In an attempt to clear the air after a public rejection of her earlier statement that Iran was not building nuclear weapons, Tulsi Gabbard, America’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI), on June 22 said the United States believes Iran could build a nuclear weapon “within weeks to months”.

 

Only hours earlier, President Donald Trump had dismissed her for giving “wrong” information—a sign of tensions surfacing publicly between the two.

 

Gabbard took to social media platform X to state that her earlier comment—that Iran was not constructing a nuclear weapon—had been misunderstood. She insisted her views aligned with the President’s. 

 

The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news 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… pic.twitter.com/mYxjpJY2ud

— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 20, 2025

 

“The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news 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 finalise the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree,” she wrote.

Gabbard’s earlier testimony to Congress

In March, Gabbard told Congress that the intelligence community did not believe Iran was actively building a nuclear weapon. “The intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,” she said at the time.

 

However, President Trump publicly contradicted Gabbard on June 21, telling reporters, “She is wrong,” in reference to her earlier testimony. It marked the second time within a week that he had rejected her assessment.

 

On June 17, when asked about her stance again, Trump had said, “I don’t care what she says.” His comments placed him closer in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who considers Iran’s potential nuclear capability to be an immediate threat.

 

White House officials attempted to play down the apparent disconnect between Trump and Gabbard, noting that uranium enrichment could allow Iran to quickly build a bomb if it chose to. 

 

A source familiar with US intelligence reports told Reuters that the formal assessment presented by Gabbard had not changed. The source also said intelligence agencies believe it could take Iran up to three years to develop a functional nuclear warhead that could reach a chosen target.

Internal divide within Trump’s circle?

These developments come as the US weighs its role in the escalating Iran–Israel conflict. They also expose divisions within Trump’s “Make America Great Again” coalition. Some supporters back Israel unconditionally, while others believe intervention abroad conflicts with Trump’s “America First” agenda.

 

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman known for her anti-interventionist stance, had attracted attention for supporting Trump’s foreign policy approach, particularly his promise to be a “peacemaker” in a second term.

 

According to American media reports, Gabbard has been excluded from key internal discussions on the Iran–Israel crisis. She was notably absent from a high-level meeting at Camp David on June 8, where top officials met to discuss mounting tensions.

 

Despite reports of her being sidelined, Vice President J D Vance publicly defended Gabbard on June 18. He said, “Tulsi is a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024. She’s an essential member of our nat sec team, & we’re grateful for her tireless work to keep America safe from foreign threats.”