Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed a recent intelligence assessment on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, saying his former Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was “wrong” in her evaluation. Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, Trump reacted bluntly when told Gabbard had made the claim: “She’s wrong,” he said. “Then my intelligence community was wrong.”
Trump’s remarks come amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with Iran facing mounting international scrutiny over its expanding nuclear program. Addressing Iran’s justification for pursuing civilian nuclear energy, Trump expressed skepticism: “It’s hard to see why they need nuclear power when they’re sitting on one of the largest oil reserves in the world.”
Shifting focus to NATO, Trump also criticized proposed plans for each member nation to spend 5% of GDP on defense. “I don’t think we should,” he said of the U.S., “but I think they should,” referring to other alliance members. He singled out Spain for rejecting the spending target, calling it a “very low payer.”
“They’ve either negotiated well or failed to do the right thing,” he said. “Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay.”
Trump reiterated doubts about Iran’s need for nuclear energy, stating, “They’re sitting on top of a massive pile of oil. I just don’t know why they’d need nuclear power for civilian purposes.”
