Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth once again dragged the media as he described what really happened when the United States launched targeted strikes over the weekend on Iranian nuclear facilities, saying that the targets had absolutely been destroyed and media outlets didn&#8217;t say so only because they were &#8220;rooting against Trump.&#8221;
Hegseth held the Thursday morning press conference, announced one day prior by President Donald Trump, to correct the record after CNN and other outlets ran with early reports — apparently based on leaked intelligence — that the strikes had not been as successful as the Trump administration said.
Hegseth began by explaining that the leaked intelligence report had been what was called &#8220;low confidence&#8221; — meaning that those who had evaluated it believed it to be at best premature and at worst wholly inaccurate — and that they fully expected more complete and accurate reports to follow. Still, multiple media outlets ran with the early intel.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The fake news has turned to LEAKS from a preliminary low-confidence report that will continue to be REFINED as additional intelligence becomes available.
HERE ARE THE FACTS: <a href="https://t.co/OFJVeIVvB4">pic.twitter.com/OFJVeIVvB4</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1938211836991816063?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
Even the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which initially issued the report, referred to it as &#8220;preliminary&#8221; and &#8220;low confidence,&#8221; Hegseth noted, and then pointed to the slew of updated assessments that had not made it into the New York Times and other outlets&#8217; coverage.
&#8220;Before I pass to the Chairman, because you and I mean specifically you, the press corps, because you cheer against Trump so hard, like in your DNA and in your blood, to cheer against Trump. You want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of the strikes,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;You have to hope they were not effective. Let’s take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it, spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the public mind over whether or not our brave pilots were successful.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> JUST CALLED OUT THE FAKE NEWS:
&#8220;I mean specifically you, the press core, because you cheer against Trump so hard, it&#8217;s like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump.
Because you want him not to be successful so badly, you have to cheer against the efficacy… <a href="https://t.co/wgb8g4J35X">pic.twitter.com/wgb8g4J35X</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1938213341803012593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;How many stories have been written about how hard it is to, I don’t know, fly a plane for 36 hours? Has MSNBC done that story? Has Fox? Have we done the story how hard that is? Have we done it two or three times?&#8221; Hegseth asked. &#8220;So that American people understand about how difficult it is to shoot a drone from an F-15 or 16 or F-22 or F35? Or what it’s like to man a Patriot battery. Or how hard it is to refuel midair, giving the American people an understanding of how complex and sophisticated this mission really was?&#8221;
“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 people are trying to leak and spin that it wasn’t successful,&#8221; Hegseth continued. &#8220;It’s irresponsible. Folks in this room are privy to that information because of the proximity here in the Pentagon. It’s an important responsibility.&#8221;
Hegseth went on to point out that while the goal might be to paint President Trump as ineffective or worse, the consequence was that it &#8220;undermined&#8221; the complex and dangerous work being done every day by men and women in uniform on behalf of the American people and their interests worldwide.
“And time and time again, classified information is leaked or peddled for political purposes to try to make the president look bad. And what’s really happening is you’re undermining the success of incredible B-2 pilots and incredible F-35 pilots and incredible refuelers and incredible air defenders who accomplished their mission, set back a nuclear program in ways that other presidents would have dreamed,&#8221; Hegseth explained. &#8220;How about we celebrate that? How about talk about how special America is, that only we have these capabilities? I think it’s too much to ask, unfortunately, for the fake news, so we’re used to that.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> &#8220;Time and time again classified information is leaked or pedaled for political purposes to try to make the president look bad.
What really is happening You are undermining the success of incredible B-2 pilots and F-35 Pilots and incredible refuelers and incredible air… <a href="https://t.co/z1ICGSJeJj">pic.twitter.com/z1ICGSJeJj</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1938214834492801091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
“But we also have an opportunity to stand at the podium and read the truth of what’s happening. And the reality is you want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated, choose your word,&#8221; he declared. &#8220;This was an historically successful attack. We should celebrate it as Americans, and it gives us a chance to have peace, chance to have a deal, and an opportunity to prevent a nuclear Iran, which is something President Trump talked about for 20 years and no other presidents had the courage to actually do.&#8221;

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‘Choose Your Word’: Hegseth Says Iranian Nuclear Facilities Were ‘Obliterated,’ ‘Destroyed’