‘I don’t care what she said’ – Trump dismisses Tulsi Gabbard’s Iran claims

Iran was “very close” to obtaining a nuclear weapon, US President Donald Trump has said

US President Donald Trump has said he believes that Iran was “very close” to obtaining a nuclear weapon, contrary to the assessment of his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.

In late March, Gabbard said that the US intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.”

When asked about the stance of his spy chief by journalists on Tuesday, Trump replied: “I do not care what she said.”

“I think they [Iran] were very close to having them,” the president stressed, referring to nuclear weapons.

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who joined the Republican Party during last year’s presidential campaign, was confirmed by the US Senate as the director of national intelligence in February, following heavy scrutiny and a heated debate.

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During her political career, the former presidential candidate and Iraq War veteran has been a fierce critic of the US intelligence community that she currently leads, and was known for her support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

CNN reported earlier on Tuesday, citing four informed sources, that US intelligence assessments had concluded that not only was Iran not actively pursuing a nuclear bomb, but was also up to three years away from being able to produce one.

Israel explained its attack on Iran on Friday by claiming that Tehran was on the brink of obtaining a nuclear weapon. The Iranian authorities have repeatedly insisted that their nuclear program is peaceful in nature and that they are not pursuing atomic weapons development.