President Donald Trump acknowledged differences with his top intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, over Iran policy while affirming confidence in her role.
Diverging Views On Iran Nuclear Policy
On Sunday, Trump suggested that Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence, has a “softer” approach than he does on preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Speaking aboard Air Force One after a weekend at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, “She’s a little bit different in her thought process than me. But that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve.”
Trump emphasized his own hardline stance, adding, “I would say that I’m very strong on the fact that I don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon because if they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it immediately. I think she’s probably a little bit softer on that issue, but that’s okay.”
Gabbard has previously told lawmakers the intelligence community has “high confidence” in knowing the location of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles, reported Reuters.
She declined to comment publicly on the U.S. capability to neutralize those stockpiles.
An official close to Gabbard, Joe Kent, resigned this month over the war, arguing Iran posed no imminent threat.
Iran Warns Of Attacks On Energy And IT Sites If US Strikes
Previously, Iran’s military warned that it would target energy, IT and desalination facilities if the U.S. follows through on threats to strike Iranian power plants.
The warning came in response to an ultimatum from Trump, who demanded the Strait of Hormuz be reopened within 48 hours and threatened attacks on Iranian power plants if the deadline was not met.
Gulf Nations Call For Ceasefire
The U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict has entered its fifth week since it began on Feb. 28.
On Monday, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Egypt concluded meetings in Islamabad, where Pakistan highlighted that dialogue remains the only way forward.
The four countries collectively called for an immediate ceasefire, highlighted Muslim unity, and expressed support for structured negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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