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.
“It was preliminary, a day and a half after the actual strike, when it admits itself in writing that it requires weeks to accumulate the necessary data to make such an assessment, preliminary, it points out that it’s not been coordinated with the intelligence community at all,” Hegseth said from the podium in the Defense Department’s briefing room. “There’s low confidence in this particular report. It says in the report, there are gaps in the information.”
He added: “Ultimately, we’re here to clarify what these weapons are capable of, which anyone with, you know, two ears, two eyes, some ears and a brain can recognize that kind of firepower, with that specificity at that location and others, is going to have a devastating effect.”
The U.S. military used several B-2 bomber aircraft to drop Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs on the Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities, which have underground components. These specific bombs, the most powerful nonnuclear bombs in the U.S. arsenal, had never been used before operationally and are specifically designed to hit underground targets.
The United States has not carried out any additional operations inside Iran, which responded by firing short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at the U.S.’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. No U.S. troops were harmed in the retaliation, as they had been given advanced warning from Iran so the country would not incur a heavy U.S. response.
“I mean specifically you, the press corps, because you cheer against Trump so hard, it’s like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump,” Hegseth added, claiming the media hadn’t covered the difficulty involved in the execution of the mission, including for the pilots who flew B-2 bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base to Iran and back without stopping over 37 hours.
He singled out Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin, a former colleague of his, claiming she “misrepresents the most intentionally,” though she defended her reporting.
PETE HEGSETH ANNOUNCES INTELLIGENCE LEAK INVESTIGATION AS PENTAGON HIT WITH MORE CONTROVERSY
As Hegseth spoke, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had heard rumors the reporters involved were going to be fired, though CNN defended the reporter who broke the story on Wednesday. After Hegseth wrapped up, Trump praised his performance on Truth Social.
“One of the greatest, most professional, and most ‘confirming’ News Conferences I have ever seen!” Trump wrote. “The Fake News should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors, and everyone else!”
While political appointees have attacked the media, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, largely avoided any direct criticism. He also denied feeling any pressure to provide a more “rosy” assessment from Hegseth or the president.
Caine, for his part, walked through the background of the planning of the operation targeting Fordow, which he said goes back to at least 2009. He said each U.S. bomb hit its intended target precisely.
