President Donald Trump contradicted his Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Tuesday, on Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities.
Mediaite reported that the president made his remarks during an early morning exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to Washington, D.C., from the G7 summit in Canada.
After Trump insisted that Tehran was "very close" to achieving a nuclear weapon, CNN's Kaitlan Collins reportedly reminded him about Gabbard's assessment from earlier this year.
"You've always said that you don't believe Iran should be able to have a nuclear weapon," Collins said. "But how close do you personally think that they were to getting one?"
"Very close," Trump said.
"Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon," Collins said.
"I don't care what she said," Trump replied. "I think they were very close to having one."
On March 26, Gabbard reportedly testified before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
"The IC [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khomeini has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003," Gabbard said at the time. "We continue to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program."
This isn't the first time Gabbard and Trump have clashed on Iran. In January 2020, Gabbard, then a registered Democrat, attacked Trump on social media over airstrikes the president ordered that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force.
" 'We do not seek regime change' Trump declares as he escalates his regime change war against Iran," Gabbard posted on X, known then as Twitter. "Neocons like Graham/Bolton are cheering. To all who voted for Trump bc of his antiwar rhetoric, it's time to realize he lied to u. Stand with me against Trump's Iran war! #TrumpsWar."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.