Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Saturday warned that Iran could potentially produce a nuclear weapon within weeks or months, just hours after President Donald Trump publicly dismissed her earlier assessment on the matter.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gabbard clarified that her previous remarks, suggesting Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear bomb—had been taken out of context. She voiced her full support for President Trump’s position that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear capabilities.
“The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division,” Gabbard wrote. “America has intelligence that Iran is at the point where 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.”
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
Just months ago, Gabbard had testified before lawmakers that the U.S. intelligence community believed Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon—remarks now at odds with the current administration’s messaging. On Friday, Trump directly refuted her earlier statement while speaking to reporters.
Her remarks come amid mounting tensions in the Middle East, with the White House announcing on Thursday that President Trump will decide within two weeks whether to authorize military action against Iran. The announcement follows escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.
The conflict between Israel and Iran has now entered its seventh day, sparked by Israel’s large-scale offensive on June 13 targeting Iranian military and nuclear facilities in a campaign dubbed Operation Rising Lion. In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched Operation True Promise 3, a coordinated drone and missile attack on Israeli jet fuel production sites and energy infrastructure.
