Trump publicly contradicted his Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Iran's nuclear capabilities, declaring her assessment "wrong" and claiming Iran possessed "tremendous amounts" of nuclear material. This unprecedented rejection of his own intelligence chief occurred as diplomatic efforts collapsed—Iran rejected Trump's two-week negotiation deadline while European ministers failed to secure any breakthrough in Geneva talks.
Courts delivered mixed rulings on Trump's authority. An appeals court allowed him to maintain control of California's National Guard troops in Los Angeles, but a federal judge blocked his attempt to end Harvard's international student program and ordered the release of detained Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil.
The Iran crisis intensified with Israeli strikes hitting a third Iranian hospital and contamination reported at the Natanz nuclear facility. Sources revealed Trump was "refining" strike plans while hundreds of American citizens fled Iran. Netanyahu declared Israel capable of striking Iran's Fordow nuclear site without US support.