US intel still has no evidence Iran is building nuclear weapon
US intelligence still assesses that Iran, despite stockpiling enriched uranium, has not taken steps to develop nuclear weapons – a view which has remained unchanged since March, according to the Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat.
US President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday, however, that he believes Tehran was 'very close' to obtaining nuclear weapons at the time of Israel's recent military strikes. His statement contradicts earlier remarks by his own director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who told lawmakers that Iran 'is not building' one. The Iranian authorities insist that their nuclear program is purely peaceful and that they have every right to pursue it.
In an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday, the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Democratic Senator Mark Warner, said senators were briefed this week – following the Israeli strikes – that US spy agencies still find no evidence that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons.
He criticized Trump's remarks as 'foreign policy by tweet,' calling them irresponsible and perplexing, given that they contradict the intelligence briefings lawmakers have received.
Warner noted that in March, Gabbard stated that Iran had 'taken no steps toward building a bomb.'
'And we got reconfirmed… Monday of this week, that the intelligence hasn't changed,' he added.
At the time, she said the US intelligence community 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.'
When Trump was reminded of this by journalists on Tuesday, he replied: 'I do not care what she said.'
Responding to Trump's remark, Warner said, 'you've got the president basically dismissing all of the intelligence.' He added that even as vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he is unclear on the current US strategy, asking: 'If I don't have the foggiest idea, what do the American people know?'
Trump said he has not yet decided whether to support Israel's military action against Iran, but echoed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Iran was 'weeks away' from developing a nuclear weapon.
Since launching its campaign against Iran last week, Israel has targeted uranium enrichment infrastructure, bombing centrifuge facilities – including a site at Natanz, south of Tehran – and laboratories used to convert uranium gas into metal, according to Israeli officials and the IAEA.
Trump has called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender,' claiming that the US now controls its airspace. He also said killing Khamenei would be 'easy.' Media reports suggest he may soon join Israel's military campaign. Tehran has vowed not to yield to pressure and warned it will retaliate if attacked.
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