US spies said Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon, Trump dismisses that assessment

Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran’s nuclear programme earlier this year.

The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorsed the dormant programme even though it had enriched uranium to higher levels.

But President Donald Trump dismissed the assessment of US spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the Group of Seven summit to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, reports AP.

“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was “very close” to having a nuclear bomb.

Trump’s statement aligned him more closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat, than with his own top intelligence adviser. Trump met with national security officials, including Gabbard, in the Situation Room on Tuesday as he plans next steps.

Administration officials downplayed the inconsistency between Trump and Gabbard, saying that enriching uranium can put Iran on track to having a nuclear weapon.