Trump Rejects Intelligence Director Gabbard Iran Nuclear Assessment

President Donald Trump has publicly rejected the assessment of his own Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who testified earlier in the year that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon and that its supreme leader had not authorized such a program since 2003. Trump insists that Iran is "very close" to developing a nuclear weapon, contradicting Gabbard's congressional testimony and signaling a hardening stance toward Iran amid escalating tensions following Israeli military strikes. This divergence has exposed deep divisions within Trump's administration and among his conservative supporters, with figures like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene warning against further U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts. Trump responded sharply to these criticisms, reaffirming his opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons and emphasizing the seriousness of the threat. The president's early departure from the G7 Summit to consult with his national security team highlights the urgency of the situation and the administration's focus on contingency planning. These developments underscore growing fractures in U.S. policy coherence on Iran and reflect the broader challenges Trump faces in maintaining unity within his base over foreign policy decisions.