Trump Says Iran Is ‘Weeks Away’ from Nuclear Bomb — U.S. Intel Says: Not So Fast

US President Trump says Iran is just “weeks away” from building a nuclear bomb. But U.S. intelligence officials — and even some of Trump’s closest allies in Congress — say the facts don’t back that up.

The bombshell claim came Wednesday, as Trump sounded the alarm during a press briefing. “Iran’s gonna have a nuclear weapon in a few weeks,” he warned reporters. “We can't just sit back and do nothing.”

But not everyone in Washington is buying it.

U.S. intelligence assessments — the same ones shared with lawmakers on Capitol Hill — tell a different story: yes, Iran has built up a huge stockpile of enriched uranium, but no, it hasn’t made the call to build a bomb.

“So far, the intelligence community has stood by its conclusion that Iran is not moving toward a nuclear weapon,” said Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “They were enriching additional uranium, but they were not weaponizing.”

Trump vs. His Own Intel Chief

In a rare public contradiction, Trump also dismissed comments made by Tulsi Gabbard, his own Director of National Intelligence, who testified in March that Iran had not decided to pursue a bomb.

“I don’t care what she said,” Trump snapped Tuesday when asked about her testimony.

Gabbard’s testimony was based on intelligence collected by America’s spy agencies and shared across Congress. According to those assessments, Iran’s uranium is enriched to 60 percent — dangerously high, but still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear weapon. Officials say Iran has about 400 kilograms of the stuff — enough, potentially, to make ten bombs — but turning that into a working weapon could still take months or more.

What Israel Is Saying

Meanwhile, Israel is cranking up the pressure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Iran is secretly racing toward a bomb — and may be just months away from a test device.

“The intel we got and we shared with the United States was absolutely clear,” Netanyahu claimed. “They were marching very quickly.”

But there’s a twist: Israeli intelligence is often a major source for U.S. assessments. So is Netanyahu seeing something different? Or is this a case of politics outpacing proof?

The answer is unclear — and that’s what has some lawmakers worried.

“If there has been a change in that intelligence, I need to know,” Warner said. “And I want to make sure that if it is changed, it’s based upon fact and not political influence.”

So How Close Is Iran?

Weapons experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say Iran could soon have enough enriched uranium to build a bomb — but that’s not the same as having a bomb.

“Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60 percent,” said IAEA Director Rafael Grossi.

But he added: there is no evidence yet that Iran is working on a weapon itself.

That would mean designing, building, and possibly testing a device — something that takes months or even years, and would likely trigger international outcry and even military action.

Meanwhile, Israel Is Hitting Hard

Just days ago, Israeli warplanes launched precision airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure — including the key Natanz enrichment facility.

According to Israeli officials and IAEA data, centrifuge plants, uranium labs, missile sites, and even nuclear scientists have all been hit in the latest wave of attacks.

Israel says these moves are necessary to slow down Iran’s progress. Intelligence sources say the bombings may have set Iran’s program back by several months.

War of Words or War on the Horizon?

With Trump warning of a nuclear Iran and Netanyahu painting a picture of a ticking time bomb, the heat is rising — fast.

But with U.S. intelligence holding firm and no smoking gun of a bomb in the works, the big question remains:

Is Iran racing toward a nuclear weapon — or is the West racing toward another war based on shaky claims?

19 June 2025