US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press briefing Thursday to strongly criticize media outlets for questioning the effectiveness of recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. The administration’s claims of a successful operation clashed with leaked intelligence suggesting limited damage, sparking a public confrontation over the impact of the strikes and the role of journalism.
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Secretary Hegseth’s Defense of Strike Effectiveness
During the briefing, Secretary Hegseth pushed back forcefully against news reports based on a leaked preliminary assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). He called the reporting “irresponsible” and “biased,” accusing journalists and publications like CNN and The New York Times of intentionally misrepresenting the facts for political reasons.
Hegseth argued that the leaked DIA assessment was preliminary and had not been coordinated with other intelligence agencies. He asserted that other intelligence reports provided a more positive view of the damage inflicted on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Media Reports Based on Leaked Intelligence
Earlier in the week, outlets including The New York Times and CNN published details from the leaked DIA report. This assessment reportedly indicated that the weekend strikes had only set back Iran’s uranium enrichment program by a couple of months. It suggested that bombs failed to penetrate subterranean tunnels at the Fordo facility and that Iran had potentially moved key materials before the anticipated air raid.
During the briefing, Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin questioned Hegseth about the certainty of highly enriched uranium storage at the Fordo mountain bunker, noting satellite images showing trucks at the site days before the strikes. Hegseth responded critically to Griffin, stating she was “about the worst” and “misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says.” Griffin defended her reporting during the exchange.
Thumbnail for video discussing US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's claim that Iran's nuclear ambitions were 'obliterated'
Hegseth continued to criticize media outlets, saying their “instinct” was to “spin it for their own political reasons, to try to hurt President Trump or our country.” He added, “They don’t care what the troops think. They don’t care what the world thinks. They want to spin it, to try to make him look bad based on a leak.”
President Trump’s Strong Stance
President Donald Trump and other administration officials have consistently dismissed the media reports suggesting limited damage. Trump repeatedly declared the operation a “complete success,” stating it had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities and that the sites were “completely destroyed.”
On social media, President Trump vehemently criticized the media outlets, accusing them of teaming up to “demean one of the most successful military strikes in history.” He characterized journalists who shared the leaked report as “just BAD AND SICK PEOPLE.” Trump also suggested that any doubt cast on the mission’s effectiveness was an insult to the military pilots.
Thumbnail for video asking if the U.S. actually destroyed Iran's nuclear program
Trump announced Hegseth’s briefing, stating its purpose was “to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots” who were reportedly upset by the media coverage.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also weighed in earlier in the week, suggesting that whoever leaked the intelligence should “be in jail,” referring to the leaker as a “low-level loser in the intelligence community.”
Following Hegseth’s briefing, President Trump praised it on social media as “One of the greatest, most professional, and most ‘confirming’ News Conferences I have ever seen!” He called for the media outlets to “fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors.” Trump also maintained his position that Iran could not have removed nuclear material before the strikes, calling the process too time-consuming and difficult.
The public criticism from the administration highlights the ongoing tension between government claims of military success and media reports based on potentially conflicting intelligence assessments following the strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
For more on the US-Iran tensions and the effectiveness of the recent military actions, explore our related coverage.
