Retired CIA analyst Larry Johnson stated on the popular YouTube programme Judging Freedom that during an emergency meeting on Saturday, Trump attempted to access the nuclear codes.
“One report coming out of that meeting at the White House is that Trump wanted to… use the nuclear codes and General Dan Caine stood up and said ‘No’.”
“He invoked his privileged as the head of the military, so to speak. It was apparently quite a blow-up.”
“There’s some very bizarre things going on in DC.”
The claims remain unconfirmed, and it is unclear what purpose accessing the nuclear codes would serve.
This follows separate reports that Donald Trump was barred from the Situation Room by military advisors during a critical Iran rescue operation, amid concerns over his volatile temperament.
Senior administration officials reportedly believed his unpredictability posed a serious risk to the success of the operation.
Following the downing of a US aircraft by Iranian forces earlier this month, Trump allegedly spent hours berating staff throughout the West Wing, said to be haunted by memories of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.
The US has been at war with Iran since February 28, when joint US-Israeli strikes were launched against several key Iranian targets. Iran retaliated by striking targets across the Middle East, throwing the region into turmoil and shutting down the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route.
A temporary ceasefire has been agreed, though no lasting peace settlement has yet been confirmed.
Iran, while not officially acknowledged as a nuclear-armed state, is believed to possess uranium enrichment capabilities that could potentially facilitate the development of nuclear weapons.
It remains uncertain whether, or in what capacity, US nuclear codes would be deployed.