Gabbard's Statements After Being Excluded from Iran Discussions

In a notable development, the U.S. National Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard, broke her silence in response to President Donald Trump's statements, in which he affirmed that she was wrong to doubt the existence of evidence of Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, following reports of her exclusion from U.S. administration discussions related to Iran and Israel.

Gabbard confirmed via her 'X' platform account her agreement with Trump's assessments, emphasizing that Iran is now only weeks or months away from possessing nuclear weapons.

Her statement came hours after Trump's remarks reiterating that Gabbard was wrong in her conclusion that Iran does not currently possess an effective nuclear program.

Gabbard also shared a video clip of her longest testimony before Congress in March last year, where she indicated that Iran abandoned nuclear weapons development 22 years ago, but the situation has since dangerously changed.

This comes amid reports revealing that Trump excluded Tulsi Gabbard, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, from participating in the security decision-making process regarding Iran and Israel, opting instead for a select group of his top advisers and cabinet members whom he considers more experienced.

Gabbard's testimony before Congress had pointed to intelligence assessments that did not support the presence of an active Iranian nuclear weapons program at that time, but her office later confirmed that she and Trump agree on the recent developments regarding the Iranian nuclear program.

In a related context, intense political and security discussions continue within the White House on how to deal with the Iranian threat, amid anticipation of decisions that may include supporting Israeli military strikes or taking other steps.