White House confirms Gabbard remains central to Trump’s security team after Iran strikes, despite past intel disagreements.

Gabbard Present for Iran Strike, White House Affirms Role

Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, was present in the White House Situation Room as the United States military launched successful strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities Saturday, a White House official confirmed. Despite public speculation of a rift between Gabbard and President Donald Trump over earlier intelligence assessments, administration officials emphasized that Gabbard remains a "key player" on Trump’s national security team.

Recent speculation centered on differences between Gabbard’s Senate testimony in March—when she stated that intelligence showed Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon—and President Trump’s public statements that Iran was dangerously close to developing such a weapon. Trump responded to reporters in June, maintaining that he believed Iran was "very close" to nuclear capability, regardless of previous assessments. "Very close," he insisted when questioned about the intelligence community’s findings.

Reconciling Differences, Presenting Unity

Photos of the Situation Room released after the strikes did not clearly show Gabbard’s presence alongside Trump and other officials. The White House clarified that the released images were not comprehensive and confirmed Gabbard was present during the operation. A senior official underscored that any distinctions between Gabbard’s testimony and Trump’s remarks are minimal, noting that both agree Iran’s uranium stockpile and technical capacity make the nuclear threat imminent.

Gabbard’s March testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee stated, "The intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003." However, she also warned, "Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons." Gabbard further highlighted Iran’s increasing cyber capabilities and ongoing regional aggression as persistent security concerns.

On social media, Gabbard criticized the media for misrepresenting her testimony, stating, "The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division." She clarified, "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree."

Administration Stresses Success and Shared Goals

President Trump announced the strikes’ success in a national address, stating, "The U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan." Trump declared the attacks a "spectacular military success," reiterating his administration’s goal to eliminate Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and end what he called "the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number-one state sponsor of terror."

Trump also cited decades of Iranian hostility toward the U.S. and Israel, saying, "For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs." He concluded, "Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat."

Despite earlier disagreements on intelligence details, both Gabbard and the White House now project unity, stressing the administration’s determination to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and to maintain U.S. and allied security. The operation marks a significant moment for Trump’s national security team, reaffirming Gabbard’s influence and the administration’s firm stance on Iran.