Tension between Trump and intelligence after exclusion of Gabbard from Iran nuclear file

In a move that sparked wide controversy within US political circles, the White House decided to exclude National Intelligence Director "Tulsi Gabbard" from a closed briefing session to be presented by top national security officials to members of Congress on the Iranian file, amid a fierce political battle over the credibility of intelligence information related to Iran's nuclear program.

According to a senior official in President Donald Trump's administration, the briefing will include four top officials: Secretary of Defense Ben Haggis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane.

What is striking is the absence of Tulsi Gabbard, who testified last March, confirming that US intelligence agencies assessed that Iran is not currently building a nuclear weapon.

An official in the US administration commented, saying that "Ratcliffe will represent the intelligence community," indicating that the White House does not see the need for Gabbard's presence, adding that the media "has turned the matter into something different than it seems."

Sources within the White House indicate that President Trump was not satisfied with Gabbard's assessment, considering it "wrong," leading to sidelining her role in managing the conflict between Iran and Israel, although some officials still describe her work as "essential and vital."

On the other hand, this decision has sparked strong reactions in Congress, where Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer called on the White House to immediately reverse the restriction on sharing intelligence information, affirming from the Senate platform that "members of Congress have the right to know the truth, and the administration is legally obligated to inform them of what is happening."

This comes in conjunction with the leak of an initial intelligence assessment via CNN, indicating that the airstrikes ordered by Trump against Iranian nuclear facilities delayed Tehran's nuclear program for several months, but did not completely destroy it.

However, the Trump administration insists that the strikes, which used B_2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles launched from submarines, succeeded in completely destroying the targeted sites.

This escalation reveals an increasing internal conflict in Washington over how to deal with Iran, and over the limits of the president's authority in managing intelligence information and communicating with Congress, at a time when regional and international challenges are becoming more complex.