‘You cheer against Trump so hard’: Hegseth scolds Iran nuclear strike reporting with no proof of ‘devastation’
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Hegseth tells press it’s ‘in your blood to cheer against Trump’ over Iran strikes
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly criticized the Pentagon press corps, accusing reporters of having an "underlying vendetta" against Donald Trump and deliberately casting doubt on the success of recent US airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites.
- Hegseth's outburst followed Trump's own public anger over a CNN report detailing leaked early assessments of damage from the B-2 bomber strikes on Iran.
- Hegseth claimed the strikes, targeting Iran's Esfahan, Fordow, and Natanz nuclear sites, were a "resounding success," despite media reports suggesting otherwise.
- A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment, reported by CNN, indicated the strikes sealed entrances but did not collapse underground facilities, setting Iran's nuclear program back by at least six months.
- During the combative briefing Hegseth and Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Dan Caine did not provide information on the whereabouts of enriched uranium previously believed to be stored at the Fordow facility.