Trump Disputes US Intelligence Findings on Iran's Nuclear Weapons

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United States President Donald Trump refuted his intelligence findings, stating that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons. He directly rejected the sworn testimony of his national intelligence director, saying, "Then my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?" Trump told reporters on Friday, June 20, 2025.

Trump was questioned about the official U.S. position that Iran is currently not building nuclear weapons. When the reporters referred to Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. national intelligence director, who explained the position, Trump immediately retorted, "She's wrong."

The president responded to Gabbard's congressional testimony, in which she told lawmakers in March that the intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building nuclear weapons, and the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that was suspended in 2003.

"We continue to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program," said Gabbard, using IC as an acronym for the U.S. intelligence community.

CNN separately reported on Tuesday, June 17, that the U.S. intelligence was unsure if Iran is currently developing nuclear bombs and estimated it would take at least two to three years to produce and deploy them to target its chosen countries. They cited four anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

Regional tensions have escalated since June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes on several locations in Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch a retaliatory attack.

Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks. Iran claimed that at least 224 people have been killed and over a thousand injured in Israel's attacks.

U.S. intelligence believes that Israel's attacks may only set back Iran's nuclear program by months, said an official.

CNN stated that despite significant damage to the enrichment site at the Natanz facility, the heavily guarded Fordow facility was untouched by Israel's attacks.

Trump Will Not Ask Israel to Stop

Donald Trump downplayed the possibility of intervening to halt Israel's attacks on Iran amid the escalating conflict. The comments came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country was "ready to consider diplomacy once again once the aggression stops and the aggressor (is) held accountable."

Trump played down the likelihood of Washington urging Israel to stop its attacks, stating that the country is currently 'winning' the ongoing conflict. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now," Trump told reporters when disembarking from Air Force One in New Jersey.

"If somebody's winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said.

When asked about the two-week deadline he set on Thursday to decide on U.S. strikes against Iran, Trump stated it was a "maximum" amount of time he would give before taking action. "It's just time to see whether or not people come to their senses," Trump said.

He further belittled the talks on Friday between Araqchi and foreign ministers from three European countries, saying, "Europe is not going to be able to help in this." He continued, "They didn't help, no. Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us."

Trump said he believed Iran could acquire nuclear weapons in "a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months," and stood by his opinion. "We can't let that happen."

The conflict between Israel and Iran has been ongoing since June 13. The mutual attacks between the two countries have resulted in many casualties. Israeli authorities said at least 25 people have died and hundreds have been injured since then due to Iran's missile attacks. Meanwhile, in Iran, 639 people have died and over 1,300 have been injured due to Israel's attacks, according to Iranian media reports.

Editor's Choice: Pro-Palestine Activist Mahmoud Khalil Released After Months in ICE Detention

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

BBC Refuses to Air Gaza Doctors Documentary

1 jam lalu

Israel Claims It Killed IRGC Commander in Strike on Qom

3 jam lalu

21 Stranded Filipino Officials Evacuated from Israel

4 jam lalu

Free Palestine Network Organizes Nationwide Rallies in Eight Indonesian Cities

4 jam lalu

101 Indonesians Evacuated from Iran and Israel via Land Route

6 jam lalu

Pro-Palestine Activist Mahmoud Khalil Released After Months in ICE Detention

8 jam lalu

Iran Ready for Diplomacy on Nuclear Program as Israel Warns of 'Prolonged Campaign'

9 jam lalu

Trump Distances Himself from Intel Chief Tulsi Gabbard as US Weighs Iran Options

9 jam lalu

Today's Top 3 News: Indonesia Joins 23 Nations in Condemning Israeli Strikes on Iran

1 hari lalu

Trump Postpones TikTok Ban for Third Time, Deadline Extended to September 17

1 hari lalu