WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was “wrong” to suggest earlier this year that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, and warned that it could be “very hard to stop” Israel’s ongoing strikes against Iranian targets.

Speaking after landing in New Jersey for a political fundraiser, Trump dismissed Gabbard’s March congressional testimony in which she said U.S. intelligence agencies did not believe Iran was assembling nuclear warheads.

“Well then, my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?” he said. Told it was Gabbard, Trump replied, “She’s wrong.”

Gabbard later responded on X, saying her remarks were misrepresented: “America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly.”

Trump has taken a more hawkish tone in recent days as he considers whether to authorize U.S. military involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran, particularly a potential strike on Iran’s underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility — believed to be beyond the reach of conventional weaponry.

While the White House said this week that Trump would make a decision within two weeks, citing a “substantial chance of negotiations,” Trump appeared less optimistic on Friday.

Asked whether the U.S. could ask Israel to halt its strikes to facilitate talks, Trump said, “I think it’s very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing.”

“It’s very hard to stop when you look at it,” he added. “Israel’s doing well in terms of war. And, I think, you would say that Iran is doing less well.”

Trump’s remarks reflect a complicated balancing act as he faces criticism from both sides — with conservatives wary of deeper U.S. entanglement abroad and others pressing him to prevent a full-scale regional war.

The president defended his position by drawing a distinction between Iran and past conflicts.

“There were no weapons of mass destruction [in Iraq]. I never thought there were,” Trump said. “And that was somewhat pre-nuclear. It was a nuclear age, but nothing like it is today.”

He further questioned Iran’s stated intention to use its nuclear program for civilian purposes, such as power generation: “You’re sitting on one of the largest oil piles anywhere in the world. It’s a little bit hard to see why you’d need that.” — Agencies