The White House released official photographs of President Donald Trump in the Situation Room as US forces carried out precision airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but one conspicuous absence has fuelled speculation, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was nowhere to be seen.
The images show Trump, wearing his signature red “Make America Great Again” hat, surrounded by top members of his national security team : Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. But Gabbard, a central figure in America’s intelligence hierarchy, was not in any of the official photos released.
Her absence follows a very public disagreement with Trump over Iran’s nuclear intentions. In March, Gabbard had testified to Congress that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. But last week, Trump directly rebuked her assessment. “She is wrong,” he told reporters. “I don’t care what she said.”
The timing of the omission has raised eyebrows. Just days before the strike, Gabbard issued a post on X revising her earlier stance, writing, “America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalise the assembly.” She also accused the media of misrepresenting her testimony and added, “President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree.”
Still, the public nature of their disagreement and her absence during a moment of such significance appears to suggest more than a scheduling conflict. Historically, the Director of National Intelligence has been present in high-stakes moments like the 2011 Osama bin Laden raid, the 2020 strike on Qasem Soleimani, and multiple post-9/11 national security sessions. Tulsi herself had appeared in earlier White House briefings on Iran in June.
Trump’s decision to greenlight the strikes came just two days after the White House had publicly said he would take two weeks to decide. Instead, by Saturday evening, US aircraft had destroyed three key nuclear sites using bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles. Trump declared the mission a success, saying it “obliterated” Iran’s enrichment facilities and warning Tehran, “There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran.”
The strike has divided lawmakers. Rep. Thomas Massie called it unconstitutional, while Rep. Ro Khanna said it lacked congressional authorisation. The administration, meanwhile, insists the action was necessary to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The images show Trump, wearing his signature red “Make America Great Again” hat, surrounded by top members of his national security team : Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. But Gabbard, a central figure in America’s intelligence hierarchy, was not in any of the official photos released.
President Donald J. Trump in The Situation Room, June 21, 2025 pic.twitter.com/V4pRVzsqcZ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 22, 2025
Her absence follows a very public disagreement with Trump over Iran’s nuclear intentions. In March, Gabbard had testified to Congress that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. But last week, Trump directly rebuked her assessment. “She is wrong,” he told reporters. “I don’t care what she said.”
The timing of the omission has raised eyebrows. Just days before the strike, Gabbard issued a post on X revising her earlier stance, writing, “America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalise the assembly.” She also accused the media of misrepresenting her testimony and added, “President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree.”
Still, the public nature of their disagreement and her absence during a moment of such significance appears to suggest more than a scheduling conflict. Historically, the Director of National Intelligence has been present in high-stakes moments like the 2011 Osama bin Laden raid, the 2020 strike on Qasem Soleimani, and multiple post-9/11 national security sessions. Tulsi herself had appeared in earlier White House briefings on Iran in June.
Trump’s decision to greenlight the strikes came just two days after the White House had publicly said he would take two weeks to decide. Instead, by Saturday evening, US aircraft had destroyed three key nuclear sites using bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles. Trump declared the mission a success, saying it “obliterated” Iran’s enrichment facilities and warning Tehran, “There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran.”
The strike has divided lawmakers. Rep. Thomas Massie called it unconstitutional, while Rep. Ro Khanna said it lacked congressional authorisation. The administration, meanwhile, insists the action was necessary to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
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