Gabbard confirms Trump claims of destroyed Iranian nuclear facilities

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard this week backed up President Donald Trump's assertions that U.S. airstrikes had destroyed key Iranian nuclear facilities, citing "new intelligence."

Her assertions come as leaked intelligence reports have suggested that the strikes were less effective than the president has claimed and that the Iranian nuclear weapons program had been set back by months rather than years.

"New intelligence confirms what [Trump] has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed," she posted on X. "If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do."

She further took aim at the presentation of the leaked intelligence assessments, highlighting the media's omission of crucial details that render the documents less than authoritative on the matter.

"The propaganda media has deployed their usual tactic: selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments (intentionally leaving out the fact that the assessment was written with 'low confidence') to try to undermine President Trump’s decisive leadership and the brave servicemen and women who flawlessly executed a truly historic mission to keep the American people safe and secure," she added.

Though she has largely remained out of the spotlight amid the Israel-Iran conflict, Gabbard's past testimonies to Congress about the status of Iran's nuclear program have circulated on social media. In March, Gabbard testified that the intelligence community had not seen evidence that Iran had restarted its nuclear program, but warned that Tehran continued to enrich uranium beyond levels necessary for civilian purposes.

She has insisted that she and Trump are "on the same page" with respect to Iran's nuclear program.