Tulsi Gabbard Walks Back Testimony on Iran Nuclear Threat Amid Row with Trump
A sharp divergence has emerged within the top levels of the US administration, as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard backtracked on her recent testimony before Congress, amid mounting pressure from President Donald Trump over Iran&rsquo;s nuclear intentions.
Just two months ago, Gabbard stated under oath that &ldquo;the US intelligence community believes that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon.&rdquo; However, in a striking U-turn on Saturday, she revised her position, saying her earlier remarks were misinterpreted and taken out of context.
Her clarification followed two consecutive rebukes from President Trump, who dismissed her assessment and maintained that Iran is indeed pursuing nuclear weapons &ndash; a position aligned with longstanding Israeli claims and a significant portion of Washington&rsquo;s political establishment.
Posting on social media platform X, Gabbard claimed the media had distorted her testimony: &ldquo;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.&rdquo;
This is a marked shift from her March statement to Congress, where she clearly said the intelligence community continued to assess that &ldquo;Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.&rdquo;
President Trump was quick to dismiss Gabbard&rsquo;s original testimony, telling reporters on Friday, &ldquo;She is wrong.&rdquo; It was the second time in a week that he publicly contradicted his top intelligence official. Earlier, when asked about her comments, he said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care what she says.&rdquo;
These tensions have surfaced as the White House deliberates over its response to the escalating Iran-Israel conflict. Trump&rsquo;s remarks have placed him more firmly in step with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would be a direct threat to regional and global stability.
Despite the apparent rift, administration officials sought to play down the discrepancy, noting that Iran&rsquo;s capacity to enrich uranium rapidly brings it closer to weapon capability, even if a warhead is not yet assembled.
Meanwhile, some within the US intelligence apparatus maintain that the fundamental assessment remains unchanged &ndash; that Iran has the technical know-how but would still need up to three years to develop and deliver a fully operational nuclear warhead.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

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June 21, 2025 | 15:06 IST