• Trump publicly dismisses his intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard's assessment of Iran's nuclear capabilities.
• Gabbard claims the media distorted her earlier testimony regarding Iran's nuclear program.
• Trump states Iran is close to developing a nuclear weapon, contradicting Gabbard's earlier testimony.
• Gabbard now asserts U.S. intelligence supports that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon "within weeks."
• The tension highlights a significant division in U.S. foreign policy regarding Iran.

President Donald Trump recently contradicted his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, by stating she was "wrong" in her assessment that Iran was not currently building a nuclear weapon. The comments reflect Trump's insistence that Iran is only weeks away from having the capability to assemble such a device, stating, "Then my intelligence community is wrong," when confronted with the contradiction during a press briefing, according to CBS News and HuffPost.

Gabbard's earlier testimony to Congress emphasized that, according to U.S. intelligence, Iran had not resumed its nuclear weapons program. She stated, "The intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon," she mentioned during a congressional hearing in March, as reported by Reuters and BBC.

In a dramatic shift, Gabbard later criticized media outlets for allegedly misrepresenting her comments. She tweeted, "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly," aligning her position more closely with Trump's narrative, according to India Times and India Times.

Trump's remarks have sparked controversy within the administration and raised questions about the future of U.S. involvement in the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel. Trump indicated he would make decisions on possible military action within the next two weeks, as reported by Al Jazeera and TRT Global.

Despite Gabbard's attempts to clarify her position, the public discord with Trump has highlighted existing fractures within the U.S. national security establishment regarding Iran's nuclear capabilities. The implications of such a division could influence U.S. foreign policy and responses to Iran's actions in the region, according to India Times and India Times.