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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth schooled the legacy media on Thursday morning during a press conference at the Pentagon, detailing the accuracy and lethality of America’s precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and providing a counterpoint to mainstream claims that the mission was not successful.
“There are so many aspects of what our brave men and women did, that, because of the hatred of this press corps, are undermined because your people are trying to leak and spin that it wasn’t successful – it’s irresponsible,” Hegseth said, tongue-lashing the media.
He asked why the media couldn’t instead focus on elevating a positive message that highlights the capabilities of the U.S. military.
Hegseth added, “I think it’s too much to ask, unfortunately, for the fake news. So, we’re used to that. But we also have an opportunity to stand at the podium and read the truth of what’s really happening…this was a historically successful attack and we should celebrate it as Americans.”
Hegseth also read aloud several intelligence assessments confirming the destruction of Iran’s nuclear sites and enrichment programs, eviscerating news outlets like CNN and The New York Times for “fawning” over a preliminary report suggesting the strikes weren’t successful.
However, Hegseth noted that this assessment was early and not conducted in coordination with the intelligence community, describing it as “low-confidence.” Even so, this report acknowledged likely “severe damage” was done to Iranian nuclear facilities by U.S. bombs, Hegseth said.
The intelligence assessments Hegseth read to the press Thursday morning described Iranian enrichment programs as being made inoperable, enormously damaged, or “destroyed.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan “Raizin’” Caine, also delivered a message to the media on Thursday, shedding light on more details of the mission that hit Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
“Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won’t see an impact crater because they’re designed to deeply bury and then function, I know there’s been a lot of questions about that … All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go,” he said.
Caine added that a bomb has three elements that cause damage: blast, fragmentation, and over-pressure. “In this case, the primary kill mechanism in the mission space was a mix of over-pressure and blast ripping through the open tunnels and destroying critical hardware,” he continued.
President Donald Trump praised the press conference on Truth Social, calling it “confirming.”
“The Fake News should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors, and everyone else!” he wrote.
