Suspenseful photos show President Trump huddling with his top national security officials in the Situation Room during the historic strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities — but one key person was missing.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — who the president had publicly split with this week over assessments on Iran’s nuclear program — was notably absent from the dramatic pics.
Gabbard had claimed to lawmakers in March that “Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,” but was directly contradicted by Trump in recent days, who said he didn’t “care what she said.”
“I think they were very close to having one,” he said of Iran’s nuclear ambitions Tuesday.
Gabbard, who testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee in a closed-door session Tuesday, later insisted to reporters that she and Trump are “on the same page.”
Despite the brief split, Gabbard was in the Situation Room, The Post confirmed. The national intelligence director was just not photographed.
A Trump admin spokesperson has confirmed the following Cabinet members and officials were in the Situation Room with the president as the US carried out its strikes on the Iranian nuclear facilities: Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State and acting national security adviser Marco Rubio and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — all of whom could be seen in photos.
Gabbard, White House deputy chiefs Dan Scavino and James Blair, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, national security council member Andy Baker, White House general counsel David Warrington and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff were also there.
In the photos released by the White House on Saturday, Trump, wearing a suit and a red “Make America Great Again” hat, was seated between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he watched the US military carry out airstrikes.
In March, Gabbard told lawmakers: “The IC [Intelligence Community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamanei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.”
The former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii also cautioned at the time that the IC is still monitoring if “Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program” and “Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.”
Read the latest on the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities:
- US strikes Iran live updates: Trump to address the nation on ‘very successful attack’ on three nuclear sites
- US has bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, Trump announces: ‘Now is the time for peace’
- GOP leaders, Sen. John Fetterman commend Trump’s strikes on Iran: ‘The correct move’
- Trump’s Iran attack catches world off-guard after fakeouts with B-2 flights and ‘two weeks’ timeframe
Last Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also dismissed Gabbard’s testimony.
“The intel we got and we shared with the United States was absolutely clear — was absolutely clear — that they were working in a secret plan to weaponize the uranium,” Netanyahu told Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier. “They were marching very quickly.”
Last week – prior to Israel’s strikes against Iran – the International Atomic Energy Agency raised concerns about Iran’s uranium enrichment levels, while not directly stating that the regime was looking to build a nuclear weapon.
Vance issued a statement in support of Gabbard earlier this week, telling Fox News: “DNI Gabbard is a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024.”
“She is an essential member of our team, and we’re grateful for her tireless work to keep America safe from foreign threats,” he added.
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