• Trump disputes US intelligence, claiming Iran is "very close" to developing a nuclear weapon.
• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently stated that Iran is not building a bomb.
• Israel's military operations against Iran have triggered retaliatory responses and heightened regional tensions.

President Donald Trump publicly rejected the US intelligence community's assessment that Iran is not currently building a nuclear weapon, declaring that Tehran is "very close" to obtaining one. This declaration came as he returned from the G7 summit in Canada and reflected a significant divergence from the views expressed by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who has asserted that Iran has not reauthorized its nuclear weapons program, suspended since 2003. Gabbard testified earlier that the intelligence community continues to monitor the situation but does not believe Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons, according to aa and abcnews.

Trump’s insistence aligns him more closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has consistently argued that Iran is nearing the capability to develop nuclear weapons. Following a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites, Trump expressed little interest in renewing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, suggesting a possible escalation of U.S. military involvement in the region, as reported by trtglobal and scmp.

In her Congressional testimony, Gabbard reiterated that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had not ordered the resumption of the weapons program and emphasized that the intelligence community does not believe Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons at this time. Despite her statements, Trump contended that this does not negate the concern over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, which has reportedly reached unprecedented levels for a non-nuclear weapons state. The criticism of Gabbard’s stance by Trump is seen by some as part of a continued pattern of tension between the President and the intelligence community, as detailed by dawn and indiatimes.

The U.N. watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), corroborated that Iran's uranium enrichment has increased, accumulating over 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity, which is concerning for both U.S. and Israeli officials. Gabbard also noted that while Iran has not actively pursued nuclear weapons, the perceptions surrounding its uranium enrichment are creating an environment ripe for misinterpretation, as highlighted by npr and aljazeera.

Recent military actions by Israel targeting Iranian nuclear scientists have exacerbated these tensions, leading to concerns about possible escalated retaliatory actions by Iran. Trump's claim that Tehran is nearing nuclear capability has reignited debates on the implications of a possible nuclear-armed Iran and the diplomatic strategies necessary to prevent such a scenario. His remarks raised alarms among security officials who maintain that Iran could theoretically produce enough material for a small nuclear stockpile relatively quickly, given its current enrichment capabilities, according to indiatimes and npr.