Hegseth Clashes With Press Over Iran Strike Coverage, Doubles Down on Trump’s Claims
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred with the Pentagon press corps on Thursday during a briefing on the U.S. attacks in Iran.
Hegseth expressed his discontent with media coverage of last week's strikes on Iranian nuclear sites following the leak of one Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) preliminary report that said the strikes may have only set the Iranian nuclear program back months.
A CIA assessment, Israeli intelligence, and outside reports have concluded that much more significant damage was done.
The early assessment, based on just 24 hours of satellite data, was noteworthy but incomplete — and it will still take weeks or months for a full picture to emerge.
WAR OF WORDS
Hegseth reiterated President Trump's claim that the sites were "obliterated" in the strikes, and pointed out that the leaked report was preliminary and evaluations are ongoing.
“Whether it’s fake news CNN, MSNBC or The New York Times, there’s been fawning coverage of a preliminary assessment,” Hegseth said. “I’ve had a chance to read it. Every outlet has breathlessly reported on a preliminary assessment.”
The Secretary said it is in the press's "DNA" to cheer against Trump and the efficacy of the strikes.
Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin questioned whether all of the enriched uranium was in the Fordow nuclear site at the time of the strikes and pointed out to Hegesth that a fleet of trucks were observed leaving the facility in the days before the strikes. Hegseth then went after his former Fox News colleague, saying she’s “been about the worst. The one who misrepresents the most intentionally.” She pushed back, saying she has covered all the successful aspects of the strike.
Bottom line: Both the media and the Trump administration are missing the mark: the media is overplaying a preliminary DIA intel report, while the Trump team is taking an all-or-nothing approach — crying “fake news” and making it harder to get accurate information. It’s important to explain some of the nuance. See Mosheh’s take above.
MORE TO KNOW
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told reporters Thursday that the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) "bunker buster” bombs dropped on the Fordow site hit their intended speed and targets as designed.
He noted that the bombs were developed over the last 15 years specifically for the sites and were used for the first time last weekend when the U.S. joined Israel’s campaign to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
He showed test footage to demonstrate the lethality of the bunker-busting weapon.
What about the uranium? The Pentagon’s top officials largely dodged questions about whether Iran managed to relocate enriched uranium from Fordow before the U.S. strike. Preliminary European intelligence assessments indicate the stockpile remains largely intact because the Iranians had moved it to other locations in advance of the U.S. strike.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, made his first remarks Thursday since the U.S. strikes — he has been in hiding for nearly two weeks in a secret bunker. He said his country had delivered a “slap to America’s face” with its strike on a U.S. base in Qatar, which U.S. officials report experience little damage in the Iranian strike.
