'Khamenei has not authorized...': What Tulsi Gabbard said in March about Iran's nuclear program

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has now blamed the media for taking her March statement out of context as President Donald Trump now publicly rebuked her for not alerting the administration enough about Iran's nuclear capabilities. On the first occasion, the president said he did not care what Gabbard said in March and in another statement, he said Gabbard was wrong.

Tulsi Gabbard made a complete U-turn amid her position being threatened over the Iran-Israel war, saying the "dishonest media" intentionally took her testimony out of context and spread fake news to manufacture division. Gabbard said 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.

Did Tulsi Gabbard say the same thing in the testimony?Tulsi Gabbard testified at a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing for the annual threat assessment of the US Intelligence Community (IC). She said the IC sees China, Russia, Iran and North Korea engaging I activities that could challenge US capabilities and interests.
On Iran, she said that the country is seeking to expand its influence in the Middle East, despite the "degradation of its proxies and defenses during the Gaza conflict".

"Iran has developed and maintains ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs, including systems capable of striking U.S. targets and allies in the region. They've shown a willingness to use these weapons, including during a 2020 attack on US forces in Iraq and in attacks against Israel in April and October 2024. Iran's cyber operations and capabilities also present a serious threat to US networks and data."

Then Tulsi Gabbard categorically went on to say that the IOC continues to assess that Iran is "not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme leader Khomeini has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003".

"We continue to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program. In the past year, we've seen an erosion of a decades long taboo in Iran on discussing nuclear weapons in public likely emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus. Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons. Iran will likely continue efforts to counter Israel and press for U.S. military withdrawal from the region by aiding, arming, and helping to reconstitute its loose consortium of like-minded terrorists, actors, which it refers to as its “Axis of Resistance.” Although weakened, this collection of actors still presents a wide range of threats including to Israel's population, U.S. forces deployed in Iraq and Syria, as well as U.S. and international military and commercial shipping and transit," Gabbard said.