Pete Hegseth excoriates media for coverage of assessment on Iran strikes

Published June 26, 2025 9:14am ET



Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth excoriated the media for their coverage of the U.S. military’s attack on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The subject of Hegseth’s ire on Thursday was reporting on a preliminary assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency that suggested, with limited confidence, that Iran’s nuclear facilities had not been as badly damaged as Hegseth and President Donald Trump said. The assessment was leaked to CNN and the New York Times, which has prompted a federal investigation.

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