Trump says US intelligence ‘wrong’ about Iran not building nuclear bomb

US president doubles down connected assertion Iran is gathering atomic weapon, again contradicting US quality community.

United States President Donald Trump has said his manager of nationalist quality was “wrong” erstwhile she testified that Iran was not gathering a atomic limb and that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had not re-authorised the country’s suspended atomic weapons programme.

The comments travel aft Trump earlier this week formed uncertainty connected Tulsi Gabbard’s March 25 study to Congress, successful which she reiterated the US quality community’s assessment. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters, “I don’t care” that the quality community’s uncovering contradicted his own claims, saying Iran was successful the precocious stages of processing a atomic weapon.

But speaking connected Friday, Trump went further.

A newsman asked, “What quality bash you person that Iran is gathering a atomic weapon? Your quality assemblage said they person nary evidence.”

The president responded, “Then my quality assemblage is wrong. Who successful the quality assemblage said that?”

“Your DNI [director of nationalist intelligence], Tulsi Gabbard,” the newsman replied.

“She’s wrong,” Trump said.

Gabbard appeared to travel to Trump’s defence aboriginal connected Friday.

“America has quality that Iran is astatine the constituent that it tin nutrient a atomic limb wrong weeks to months, if they determine to finalize the assembly,” she wrote successful a societal media post. “President Trump has been wide that can’t happen, and I agree.”

However, that connection does not contradict her earlier appraisal that Iran is not gathering a weapon. No known US quality appraisal concludes that Iran is weaponising its atomic programme.

It is highly uncommon for a US president to openly contradict the country’s quality community, with critics accusing Trump of flagrantly disregarding grounds to warrant imaginable nonstop US engagement successful the fighting, according to Al Jazeera’s elder governmental expert Marwan Bishara.

“This is not conscionable 1 person, 1 squad saying something,” Bishara said. “It’s the full quality assemblage successful the United States. That helium would disregard them … it’s conscionable astounding.”

Speaking connected Friday, Trump besides appeared to downplay the imaginable of the US brokering a ceasefire statement betwixt Iran and Israel, saying helium “might” enactment specified a deal, portion adding, “Israel’s doing good successful presumption of war, and I deliberation you would accidental that Iran is doing little well.”

“It’s hard to marque that petition close now. When someone’s winning, it’s harder than erstwhile they’re losing,” helium added.

Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou Castro noted that Trump was “really making a constituent that he’s not going to marque an effort to inquire Israel to easiness up connected its aerial bombing of Iranian targets”.

“It seems that Trump is precise squarely connected Israel’s broadside arsenic things are progressing, and … it appears that helium is not leaning towards the diplomacy route, though, again, helium is giving himself that 2 weeks’ clip to marque a last decision,” she said.

Trump connected Thursday said helium would instrumentality two weeks to determine the US effect to the conflict. Experts accidental the determination would apt beryllium transformative.

The US is seen arsenic 1 of the fewer countries with the leverage to unit Israel to measurement backmost from the brink of wider-scale determination war.

At the aforesaid time, the engagement of the US subject is seen arsenic cardinal to Israel’s stated ngo of wholly dismantling Iran’s atomic programme, which hinges connected destroying the underground Fordow enrichment plant.

A palmy onslaught connected the installation would require some Washington’s 30,000-pound (13,000kg) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator and the B-2 bombers needed to present it.

Speaking to reporters connected Friday, Trump besides downplayed the imaginable relation of European countries successful de-escalating the situation. That came hours aft Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met the apical diplomats from France, the UK, Germany and the EU successful Geneva.

“Europe is not going to beryllium capable to help,” the US president said.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies