A Pentagon employee has been suspended after being secretly recorded divulging sensitive national security information to an undercover reporter during what he believed were casual dates — a breach that has triggered an internal investigation and raised serious concerns about operational discipline inside the U.S. military.
Andrew Hugg, identified in reports as a Chief of Chemical and Nuclear Surety, was filmed in a public restaurant speaking at length about nuclear launch procedures, chemical weapons research, and current U.S. posture toward Iran. The footage, released by O&#8217;Keefe Media Group, shows Hugg offering unusually detailed explanations of protocols that are typically tightly guarded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BREAKING NEWS: Top U.S. Nuclear Chief Caught LEAKING Sensitive National Security Information to Stranger, Reveals Army Chemist Was Exposed to U.S. Chemical Nerve Agent, Confirms U.S. Strike Killed Children in Iran, Discloses U.S. Plans to ‘Kill Iran’s New Supreme Leader’
“If he… <a href="https://t.co/owL1YGUnms">pic.twitter.com/owL1YGUnms</a>
— James O&#8217;Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2046642621632872461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
At one point, Hugg described the immediacy and rigidity of nuclear command procedures, using a hypothetical scenario to illustrate the system’s design. “We’re literally trained — this is serious — we are always trained, if a Girl Scout gives you a message, a launch message … if it passes all the checks, go,” he said. The comment, while likely intended to emphasize redundancy and responsiveness, being revealed so flippantly could have been disastrous. 
He also discussed U.S. chemical weapons capabilities, claiming that nerve agents such as Sarin are being researched at a facility in Aberdeen, Maryland. “So, nerve agent is a chemical weapon … it kills that enzyme. Your lungs won’t work. Your heart won’t work. Nothing will work. But we have it here. It’s here in Maryland,” Hugg said. He went further, alleging lax safety enforcement at the site, recounting an incident in which a researcher allegedly ignored protective protocols. “She just wore crocs and her own clothes … it soaked through her skin … people would touch a door and then people would die,” he said, describing a scenario that, if accurate, would represent a catastrophic breakdown in containment procedures.
Beyond technical disclosures, Hugg offered blunt commentary on current geopolitical tensions, particularly regarding Iran. When asked about the possibility of continued U.S. strikes on Iranian leadership, he suggested that future targets were under consideration. “If he doesn’t change his ways then yeah, they’re gonna kill him,” Hugg said, referring to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of and successor to the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. At the same time, he attempted to temper the implication of escalation, stating, “We’re not moving nukes. We’re not going to nuke anybody … we’re not thinking about nuking anybody right now.”
The recordings also captured Hugg making sweeping claims about corruption tied to U.S. foreign aid, particularly in Ukraine. “They stole our money … they bought houses, cars … they don’t care about the people,” he said, alleging that funds sent during the Obama administration were misappropriated. He claimed he attempted to report the issue but was told, “We don’t care … we don’t want that in the paper because it makes Obama look bad.” Those assertions remain unverified but add another layer to the scope of his disclosures.
Perhaps most striking were Hugg’s comments regarding the circumstances under which the information was being shared. Over the course of multiple interactions, he appeared at least partially aware of the possibility that he was speaking to someone with ulterior motives, asking at one point, “You’re not spying, you’re not spying though right?” before later remarking, “The easiest way to get intelligence is just like send a pretty girl to talk to the guy.” The exchange highlights how even in the modern world human error is still the most enduring vulnerability in security culture.
The U.S. Army moved quickly after the footage became public. In a <a href="https://x.com/BreannaMorello/status/2046670828561993989">statement</a>, Army spokesperson Cynthia O. Smith confirmed that Hugg had been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation. Reports indicate he was escorted from his workplace and has since removed his professional online presence.
While the extent of the damage from the leak is still being assessed, the episode comes at a time of heightened global tension, with ongoing sensitive negotiations and tensions regarding Iran placing a premium on operational security.
The investigation into Hugg’s conduct is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what, if anything, it exposes about broader lapses in training, oversight, or internal safeguards. For now, the episode serves as a reminder that even highly sensitive roles are only as secure as the judgment of the people holding them.

Pentagon Building As Senators Warn Of Broken Classification System After Major Leak

WATCH: Pentagon Insider’s Secret Date Turns Into Nuclear Leak

leaks

Nuclear

Politics

House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) said Sunday that “something sinister” might be happening as officials probe a rash of disappearances and deaths of former top scientists who reportedly worked with classified information.
Comer said he would bring in leaders of the agencies where the scientists worked for questioning about the matter. His comments come after the White House said last week it would be probing the strange cases and President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-scientists-are-turning-up-dead-or-missing-now-the-white-house-is-stepping-in">said</a> he hoped the disappearances were &#8220;random.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;ve put a notice out to the Department of War, to the FBI, to NASA, to the Department of Energy, that we want to know everything that they know about what happened with these scientists because those four agencies were predominantly the agencies that those 11 individuals were affiliated with. And we want to try to piece this together,” Comer <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/comer-warns-something-sinister-may-behind-deaths-disappearances-11-nuclear-space-linked-scientists">told</a> Fox News on Sunday.
&#8220;We know there are many countries around the world that would love to have our knowledge and nuclear capabilities. And these are the people that were at the forefront of it, and they&#8217;re either dead or missing,” he added.
A few of the strange cases include the disappearance of NASA scientist Monica Jacinto Reza, who <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/21/us-news/rocket-scientist-with-professional-ties-to-missing-gen-william-mccasland-disappeared-under-similar-circumstances/">went missing</a> during a hike in June 2025; astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, who <a href="https://abc7.com/post/man-charged-killing-caltech-astrophysicist-carl-grillmair-llano-carjacking-own-relative-burglarizing-home/18626990/">was shot</a> on his front porch in February; Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Nuno Loureiro, who <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2025/nuno-loureiro-professor-director-plasma-science-and-fusion-center-dies-1216">was shot</a> and killed in his home in December 2025; and Air Force Maj. Gen. William McCasland, who <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/missing-general-scientist-deaths-tied-secret-us-work-prompt-white-house-probe">went missing</a> from his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home in March.
The investigation into the deaths and disappearances is being led by the FBI.
“These missing and killed scientists and former professional members of the Department of Energy vary [widely], and we&#8217;re working most importantly with our state and local partners who have the jurisdiction on each of these cases, whether they be a homicide or a missing person&#8217;s case, they have the evidence. What we&#8217;re going to do is collectively pull it all into one place,&#8221; FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News on Sunday.
Patel said that the investigation was focusing on whether there were any connections to classified information or foreign actors.
Other examples of strange circumstances involving the scientists include the disappearance of Kansas City National Security Campus government contractor Steven Garcia in Albuquerque in 2025, allegedly with a handgun, and the discovery of pharmaceutical scientist Jason Thomas at the bottom of a Massachusetts pond after he went missing three months ago.

Scientists

11 Scientists. Multiple Deaths. One Question No One Can Answer — Coincidence Or Something Darker?

Crime

House Oversight Committee

James Comer

kash patel

scientists

U.S.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration is investigating the &#8220;troubling&#8221; deaths and disappearances of scientists and researchers who each reportedly had access to classified information at some point in their careers.
&#8220;In light of the recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases, and President Trump’s commitment to the truth, the White House is actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
Her remarks came after Fox News&#8217; Peter Doocy pressed both Leavitt and President Donald Trump about the eerie timeline, given that at least 11 scientists have died or disappeared under strange circumstances. All of these individuals have been tied to military, nuclear, or aerospace research, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/11th-scientist-death-emerges-string-missing-dead-officials-access-us-secrets">according to Fox News</a>.
&#8220;No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them,&#8221; Leavitt emphasized on Friday.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy&#8217;s National Nuclear Security Administration told The Daily Wire on Friday that it is &#8220;aware of reports related to employees of our labs, plants, and sites and is looking into the matter.&#8221;
Trump himself said that he had just left a meeting on the topic as he departed the White House on Thursday for Las Vegas.
“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump said. “Pretty serious stuff … hopefully a coincidence, or whatever you want to call it.”
<div id="attachment_1079913" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-scientists-are-turning-up-dead-or-missing-now-the-white-house-is-stepping-in/us-avery-closea-to-making-iran-deal-as-two-week-ceasefire-nears-end-trump-2" rel="attachment wp-att-1079913"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1079913" class="wp-image-1079913 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>President Donald Trump speaks to the Press before departing from the White House to Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 16, 2026, in Washington DC. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
Amy Eskridge, for example, was an Alabama researcher who died on June 11, 2022, at the age of 34 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She co-founded the Institute for Exotic Science and worked on &#8220;antigravity&#8221; research. In a 2020 interview with YouTuber Jeremy Rys, she described receiving &#8220;harassment, threats,&#8221; and sabotage of her research. Notably, she suggested at one point that scientists who had breakthroughs in their work would &#8220;disappear&#8221; or stop working.
&#8220;If you stick your neck out in public, at least someone notices if your head gets chopped off,&#8221; Eskridge said in the interview. &#8220;If you stick your neck out in private, they will bury you. They will burn down your house while you’re sleeping in your bed, and it won’t even make the news.&#8221;
Other strange cases include NASA scientist Monica Jacinto Reza, who <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/21/us-news/rocket-scientist-with-professional-ties-to-missing-gen-william-mccasland-disappeared-under-similar-circumstances/">vanished on a hike in June 2025</a>; astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, <a href="https://abc7.com/post/man-charged-killing-caltech-astrophysicist-carl-grillmair-llano-carjacking-own-relative-burglarizing-home/18626990/">who was shot on his front porch in February</a>, Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Nuno Loureiro, who <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2025/nuno-loureiro-professor-director-plasma-science-and-fusion-center-dies-1216">was shot and killed in his home in December 2025</a>, and Air Force Maj. Gen. William McCasland, who <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/missing-general-scientist-deaths-tied-secret-us-work-prompt-white-house-probe">vanished from his Albuquerque, New Mexico home</a> in March.
NASA researcher Michael Hicks <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/09/us-news/another-mysterious-nasa-death-as-ninth-scientist-linked-to-secret-programs-dies/">passed away in July 2023</a>, while NASA engineer Frank Maiwald <a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/frank-maiwald-obituary?id=55630404">died in July 2024</a>. Two Los Alamos employees went missing and have not been found: Melissa Casias, who <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/4-missing-persons-with-nuclear-ties-spark-concern-in-new-mexico/">went missing in June 2025</a>, and Anthony Chavez, who <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/4-missing-persons-with-nuclear-ties-spark-concern-in-new-mexico/">went missing just before Casias</a> in May 2025.
Pharmaceutical scientist Jason Thomas went missing in December 2025 and <a href="https://people.com/body-found-lake-believed-belong-scientist-missing-3-months-11928819">was recently discovered</a> at the bottom of a Massachusetts pond, and Kansas City National Security Campus government contractor Steven Garcia <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/us/news/steven-garcia-missing-contractor-overseeing-us-nuclear-weapons-assets-disappears-list-grows-to-10/articleshow/130275011.cms?from=mdr">disappeared in Albuquerque in 2025</a>, allegedly with only a handgun.
Officials have not established that there is a connection between the deaths, but the public has grown increasingly disturbed by the frequency of the incidents. Four of the mysterious cases involve New Mexico, for example, where the Los Alamos National Laboratory is located.

US âvery closeâ to making Iran deal as two-week ceasefire nears end: Trump

Top Scientists Are Turning Up Dead Or Missing. Now The White House Is Stepping In.

Donald Trump

Executive

Karoline Leavitt

The U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense on Sunday for the first time transported a small nuclear reactor on a cargo plane from California to Utah to demonstrate the potential to quickly deploy nuclear power for military and civilian use.
The agencies partnered with California-based Valar Atomics to fly one of the company’s Ward microreactors on a C-17 aircraft — without nuclear fuel — to Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey were on the C-17 flight with the reactor and its components, and hailed the event as a breakthrough for U.S. nuclear energy and military logistics.
“This gets us closer to deploy nuclear power when and where it is needed to give our nation’s warfighters the tools to win in battle,” Duffey said.
President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration sees small nuclear reactors as one of several ways to expand U.S. energy production. Trump last May issued four executive orders aimed at boosting domestic nuclear deployment to meet growing demand for energy for national security and competitive AI advancements.
The Energy Department in December issued two grants to help accelerate development of small modular reactors.
Proponents of microreactors also have touted them as energy sources that can be sent to far-flung and remote places, offering an alternative to diesel generators which require frequent deliveries of fuel. But skeptics have argued that the industry has not proven that small nuclear reactors can generate power for a reasonable price.
&#8220;There is no business case for microreactors, which — even if they work as designed — will produce electricity at a far higher cost than large nuclear reactors, not to mention renewables like wind or solar,&#8221; said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The Energy Department plans to have three microreactors reach “criticality” — when a nuclear reaction can sustain itself — by July 4, Wright said.
The microreactor in Sunday&#8217;s event, a little larger than a minivan, can generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 5,000 homes, according to Valar CEO Isaiah Taylor. It will start operating in July at 100 kilowatts and peak at 250 kilowatts this year before ramping up to full capacity, he said.
Valar hopes to start selling power on a test basis in 2027 and become fully commercial in 2028. Although private industry funds its own development of nuclear technology, it also needs the federal government “doing some enabling actions to allow fuel fabrication here and uranium enrichment here,” he said.
Fuel for Valar&#8217;s reactor will be transported from the Nevada National Security site to the San Rafael facility, Wright told reporters.
However, even small generators result in a significant amount of radioactive waste, Lyman said. Other experts have said designers are not compelled to consider waste at inception, beyond a plan for how it will be managed.
Although disposal of nuclear waste remains an unresolved issue, the Energy Department is in talks with a few states, including Utah, to host sites that could reprocess fuel or handle permanent disposal, Wright said.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Sergio Non and Lincoln Feast.)

Microreactor

U.S. Conducts First Air Transport Of Nuclear Microreactor In Bid To Show Tech’s Viability

General

Nuclear Power

Technology

President Donald Trump said Monday that he would consider extending his Asia trip to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump said that he would “love” to meet with Kim. Trump is currently in Japan and is set to end his Asia trip with a visit to South Korea. Trump first floated the possibility of meeting with Kim before departing on Friday for a five-day trip to Asia that has focused on trade. 
“I haven’t mentioned it. I haven’t said anything, but I’d love to meet with him if he’d like to meet. I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me. If he wants to meet, I’ll be in South Korea,” Trump said when asked if he had any plans to meet with Kim. 
If they did have a meeting, Trump suggested they would discuss sanctions. 
“Well, we have sanctions. It’s pretty big. I would say that&#8217;s about as big as you get,” Trump said. “I just had a good relationship with him. I would love to see him if he wants to, if he even gets this message. We haven&#8217;t mentioned that, but he knows I&#8217;m going over there. If he&#8217;d like to meet, I&#8217;d love to meet him.”
In September, Kim <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/27/trump-asia-trip/">reportedly</a> said that he would meet with Trump if “the U.S. drops its hollow obsession with denuclearization.”
During his first term, Trump became the first president to cross into North Korea’s demilitarized zone and meet with Kim to discuss the communist country&#8217;s nuclear program. He met with Kim on two other occasions. 
Last month, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-accuses-china-of-plotting-against-us-as-xi-flexes-military-power-alongside-putin?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Accuses+China+Of+Plotting+Against+US+As+Xi+Flexes+Military+Power+Alongside+Putin">accused</a> North Korea of conspiring with Russia and China against the United States after Kim attended a massive Chinese military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 
“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
While in South Korea, American officials will finalize the details of a trade agreement. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that the overall framework of a deal with South Korea was in place and that the final details were being worked out. 
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the talks were focusing on removing non-tariff barriers to trade imposed by South Korea. South Korea is also expected to invest heavily in American shipbuilding. 
“We&#8217;re very much involved in getting the shipbuilding going again, which really we should have never lost years ago,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We were number one.&#8221;

VIETNAM-US-NKOREA-DIPLOMACY-SUMMIT

Trump: ‘I’d Love’ Another Sit-Down With North Korea’s Kim Jong Un

Global Politics

Kim Jong Un

North Korea

South Korea

trade

Cottontail rabbits with tentacles sprouting from their faces have been <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/13/science/frankenstein-bunnies-with-head-spikes-invade-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearing</a> in Fort Collins, Colorado, according to local residents.
One woman said she saw a rabbit with “black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.”
“I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t,” she said. “He came back a second year, and it grew.”
The <a href="https://cpw.state.co.us/species/cottontail-rabbits#:~:text=Rabbit%20Papillomas,be%20treated%20by%20a%20veterinarian." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service</a> says the “Frankenstein” rabbits are suffering from cottontail papilloma virus, also called the Shope papilloma virus, a skin virus that produces black, horn-like growths, mainly around the head.
Despite their terrifying appearance, the growths aren’t inherently harmful to the rabbits. However, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service notes that excessive growth around the eyes and mouth can prevent them from seeing and eating, leading to starvation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 WARNING: “Frankenstein” rabbits with black, spike-like growths on their heads are spreading across the US. 
Experts say it’s a viral infection and warn: Do NOT touch them. <a href="https://t.co/HOsKuvbC6s">pic.twitter.com/HOsKuvbC6s</a>
— Wienerdogwifi (@wienerdogwifi) <a href="https://twitter.com/wienerdogwifi/status/1955622822065091004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Most infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away.”
The virus is more likely to spread in the summer, when there is a proliferation of insects capable of transmitting it. It can also spread through direct contact.
The disease is specific to rabbits and does not seem to pose a threat to humans or other animals. Wildlife experts still advise people not to approach infected rabbits.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
However, it can still be contracted by domestic rabbits, which experience a more severe reaction. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service advises pet owners to visit a veterinarian if this happens.
The Shope papilloma virus is thought to have <a href="https://www.si.edu/stories/worlds-scariest-rabbit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired</a> the “jackalope,” a mythological creature that possesses the body of a jackrabbit and the horns of an antelope.
The Frankenstein rabbits are not the only strange creatures to make headlines recently. Radioactive “hot wasps” have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/science/radioactive-wasps-nuclear-savannah-river.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discovered</a> near a South Carolina nuclear site. The Department of Energy says the four wasp nests do not pose a threat to humans.

Young rabbits

‘Frankenstein’ Rabbits With Face Tentacles Plague Colorado

Animals

Colorado

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine in a Thursday press conference with Defense Secratary Pete Hegseth provided a detailed description of the American strikes and released video showing how bunker-buster bombs crippled Iran&#8217;s nuclear facilities.
Caine revealed that the United States military had developed the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, better known as bunker buster bombs, more than 15 years ago, specifically with Iran’s nuclear program in mind.
He showed several military graphics and videos showcasing exactly how the bombers were to inflict extensive damage at Iran&#8217;s Fordo nuclear site.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Gen. Dan &#8220;Razin&#8221; Caine demonstrates how GBU-57 MOPs work: &#8220;Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won&#8217;t see an impact crater because they&#8217;re designed to deeply bury and then function &#8230; All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/iQs3oWcJ4X">pic.twitter.com/iQs3oWcJ4X</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1938215092128231753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“All six weapons at each vent at Fordo went exactly where they were intended to go. A bomb has three effects that causes damage: blast, fragmentation, and overpressure,” Caine said. “In this case, the primary kill mechanism in the mission space was a mix of overpressure and blast ripping through the open tunnels and destroying critical hardware.“
Thursday&#8217;s press conference comes after the Trump administration accused CNN, The New York Times, and other legacy media outlets of attempting to torpedo the success of the strikes, quoting a leaked preliminary assessment that said the attack only set Iran’s nuclear program back by months.
“The majority of the damage we assessed based on our extensive modeling was a blast layer combined with the impulse extending from the shock. Imagine what this looks like six times over,” Caine added.
The media asked Gen. Caine if he was pressured to provide a rosy assessment of the destruction at Fordo, to which he pushed back, “No, I have not, and no, I would not.”
The U.S. strike on Fordo primarily focused on two ventilation shafts as the “primary point of entry into the mission space,” Caine said.
“In the days preceding the attack against Fordo, the Iranians attempted to cover the shafts with concrete to try to prevent an attack,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I won’t share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap, but you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were. The planners had to account for this. They accounted for everything.”
“The cap was forcibly removed by the first weapon, and the main shaft was uncovered. Weapons two, three, four, five were tasked to enter the main shaft, move down into the complex at greater than 1,000 feet per second, and explode in the mission space. Weapon number six was designed as a flex weapon to allow us to cover if one of the preceding jets or one of the preceding weapons did not work. There were six on each side.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/thejointstaff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thejointstaff</a> Chairman General Dan Caine describes the devastating weaponry dropped on Fordow in last Saturday&#8217;s strikes: <a href="https://t.co/Ol9SE9rmvN">pic.twitter.com/Ol9SE9rmvN</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1938214162812879293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Pete Hegseth – Dan Caine holds a joint press conference in DC

WATCH: Gen. ‘Razin’ Caine Unveils Footage Demonstrating Fordo Collapse After Devastating Iran Strike

Department of Defense

Fordo

Iran

News

Pete Hegseth

Trump Administration

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) revealed on Monday that U.S. intelligence contradicts claims that Iran moved nuclear materials before President Trump&#8217;s weekend airstrikes, which the senator believes &#8220;severely damaged, if not completely destroyed&#8221; Iran&#8217;s nuclear weapons capabilities.
Satellite imagery taken prior to the attack, circulating across social media over the weekend, revealed trucks surrounding Fordo allegedly poised to haul away all nuclear material, which the senator rejects.
&#8220;[Israel and Iran] are claiming that they moved some material,&#8221; Mullin said. &#8220;Our intelligence report says they didn&#8217;t. In fact, we actually believe they stored more of it in Fordo because they believe Fordo was impenetrable,&#8221; the Oklahoma Republican <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/23/us-iran-nuclear-fordo-mullin-intelligence.html">said</a> in an interview on CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk Box.&#8221;
The Fordo facility, located 300 feet underneath a mountain, was one of three Iranian nuclear sites targeted by American air strikes on Saturday, along with facilities at Natanz and Isfahan.
“We have the ability to destroy things that people think were undestroyable. And so we think we did a really good job,” Mullin said.
Spencer Faragasso, senior research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, echoed Mullin’s sentiment, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/06/22/iran-strikes-nuclear-site-damage-visuals/">telling</a> The Washington Post that the satellite images taken prior to the attack appear to feature dump trucks intent on reinforcing Fordo, not evacuating it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
High-res satellite imagery shows 16 cargo trucks entering tunnels at Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility shortly before the U.S./Israeli strike—raising concerns Tehran may have secretly relocated enriched uranium or critical nuclear materials ahead of the bombing. <a href="https://t.co/IU5tyLZyG3">pic.twitter.com/IU5tyLZyG3</a>
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/1936979978576699830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
“If they evacuated any equipment, it had to happen prior to the filling of the tunnels,” Faragasso said, pointing out that using dump trucks to transport uranium and centrifuges could easily damage them, and hazardous chemicals could leak. “It would be a large and complicated undertaking.”
Experts told the Post that the tunnel entrances where the trucks were spotted appear to have been filled with dirt post-attack, either as a result of reinforcing the tunnels in preparation for a strike or from the shock wave caused by the bombing.
Senator Mullin, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the strikes had “severely damaged, if not completely destroyed, their ability to have a nuclear weapon,” but suggested the possibility of continued military action if necessary. &#8220;If we find that we didn&#8217;t completely destroy Fordo&#8217;s nuclear production capabilities, we will be working with our allies to finish the job, or we will finish the job.&#8221;
“We have made it very clear, President Trump has made clear for 10 years, we will not allow Iran, the world’s sponsor of terror, to have a nuclear weapon any way whatsoever,” Mullin added.
President Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114734021412822365">declared</a> the strikes had “totally destroyed” Iran&#8217;s major enrichment facilities and blasted mainstream media outlets that attempted to contradict this assessment. “It never ends with the sleazebags in the Media, and that’s why their Ratings are at an ALL TIME LOW — ZERO CREDIBILITY!” the president posted on Truth Social.

DOD Secretary Hegseth And Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Caine Brief On Iran Strike

U.S. Intel Confirms Iran Failed to Move Nuclear Materials Before Trump Strikes, Senator Reveals

Israel

Middle East

World

President Donald Trump scolded Russia for &#8220;casually throwing around the &#8216;N word'&#8221; on Monday after Russian Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia, along with other nations, were planning to send nuclear warheads to Iran.
Medvedev, the former president of Russia, <a href="https://x.com/MedvedevRussiaE/status/1936725778701701276">said</a> on Sunday that Iran&#8217;s &#8220;enrichment of nuclear material&#8221; and &#8220;the future production of nuclear weapons — will continue&#8221; after the United States bombed three major Iranian nuclear facilities in what the Trump administration called an &#8220;obliteration&#8221; of the Ayatollah&#8217;s nuclear ambitions. After the United States&#8217; attack on Iran, Medvedev added that multiple countries &#8220;are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114733380709403439">responded</a> to Medvedev&#8217;s comments, writing on Truth Social, &#8220;Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the &#8216;N word&#8217; (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination?&#8221;
&#8220;If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;The &#8216;N word&#8217; should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s &#8216;THE BOSS.'&#8221;
The president then praised the U.S. military&#8217;s &#8220;hardware,&#8221; which was put on display during the strikes on Iran&#8217;s nuclear facilities on Saturday.
&#8220;By the way, if anyone thinks our &#8216;hardware&#8217; was great over the weekend, far and away the strongest and best equipment we have, 20 years advanced over the pack, is our Nuclear Submarines. They are the most powerful and lethal weapons ever built, and just launched the 30 Tomahawks — All 30 hit their mark perfectly,&#8221; he wrote.
Russia and Iran have found common ground in their anti-West sentiment for decades. Iran has recently supplied Russia with missiles that the country has used in its war against Ukraine, and Russia has <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-857124">reportedly</a> agreed to help Iran build eight nuclear power plants.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the U.S. attack on Iran on Monday, calling it “absolutely unprovoked,” The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/23/iran-russia-alliance-strikes-nuclear/">reported</a>. Putin added that U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict &#8220;is bringing the world to a very dangerous point.&#8221; Russia, however, has yet to take any action in support of Iran since the U.S. jumped into the conflict.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obliteration-is-an-accurate-term-trump-says-iran-satellite-images-show-monumental-damage?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=%E2%80%98Obliteration+Is+An+Accurate+Term%21%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Says+Iran+Satellite+Images+Show+%E2%80%98Monumental+Damage%E2%80%99">said</a> on Sunday night that satellite imagery shows that “Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran.&#8221;
“Obliteration is an accurate term!&#8221; he added.

Trump Tells Russian Leader To Stop Using The ‘N Word’ After Nuclear Threats

Dmitry Medvedev

Nuclear Weapons

Russia

Vladimir Putin

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dispatched his foreign minister to Moscow on Monday, seeking Russian President Vladimir Putin&#8217;s support after President Donald Trump ordered devastating strikes against Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reportedly arrived in Moscow carrying a letter from Khamenei specifically requesting Putin&#8217;s backing, senior sources <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/irans-supreme-leader-asks-putin-do-more-after-us-strikes-2025-06-23/">told</a> Reuters.
President Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-israel-strikes-iran?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=LIVE+UPDATES%3A+Trump+Bombs+Iran%2C+Hits+All+Three+Nuclear+Sites+With+%E2%80%98Full+Payload%E2%80%99">ordered</a> strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iranian nuclear program was “devastated” and “obliterated.”
Reuters reported that Tehran has not been impressed with Putin’s tepid support thus far, and the letter requests that Putin take stronger measures backing Iran against Israel and the United States, though what assistance was being requested was not specified.
Putin met with the Iranian Foreign Minister in the Kremlin early Monday, where he blasted the &#8220;unjustified&#8221; U.S. attacks and warned that regime change could destabilize the region.
&#8220;The absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran has no basis and no justification,&#8221; Putin <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/irans-supreme-leader-asks-putin-do-more-after-us-strikes-2025-06-23/">told</a> the Iranian Foreign Minister, indicating a desire to calm the crisis. &#8220;For our part, we are making efforts to assist the Iranian people,&#8221; but again neglected to provide specifics.
Last week, Putin called for peace and offered Moscow&#8217;s services as a mediator, showing little appetite for direct confrontation with Trump as he fights a protracted war in Ukraine.
Russia’s peacemaker approach to the conflict comes only a year after signing a 20-year strategic partnership with Iran. The countries agreed to “work together against common military threats, develop their military-technical cooperation, and take part in joint exercises,” Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/iran-parliament-approves-strategic-pact-with-russia-2025-05-21/">reported</a>.
However, the partnership does not include a mutual defense clause that would obligate Moscow to defend Iran militarily against external attacks.
At the United Nations Security Council on Sunday, Russia joined China and Pakistan in proposing a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, with Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia comparing the situation to Colin Powell&#8217;s 2003 Iraq presentation.
“Again, we&#8217;re being asked to believe the U.S.&#8217;s fairy tales, to once again inflict suffering on millions of people living in the Middle East. This cements our conviction that history has taught our U.S. colleagues nothing,” the ambassador stated.
Putin has maintained communication with Israel during the escalating tensions. Israeli officials have reportedly assured Putin that Russian specialists currently helping build two additional reactors at Iran&#8217;s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant would be safe.
For Moscow, which has historically played a role in Iran&#8217;s nuclear negotiations with the West as both a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member and signatory to the original nuclear deal, the current crisis presents a delicate balancing act between supporting a regional ally and avoiding direct conflict with the United States.

Russian President Putin in Iran

Ayatollah Seeks Putin’s Support After Trump’s Crushing Strike On Iranian Nuclear Sites

President Donald Trump said on Sunday night that he viewed the satellite images of Iran&#8217;s major nuclear facilities following the United States&#8217; bombing mission, adding that American B-2 Bombers and a submarine hit the &#8220;Bullseye.&#8221;
&#8220;Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images,&#8221; the president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114730186433008075">posted</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;Obliteration is an accurate term! The white structure shown is deeply imbedded [sic] into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!&#8221;
On Saturday, Trump ordered bombings on Iranian nuclear facilities, Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, which were hit with &#8220;bunker busters&#8221; and Tomahawk missiles. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that the mission was an &#8220;overwhelming success,&#8221; adding that Iran&#8217;s nuclear ambitions were &#8220;obliterated.&#8221;
Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/satellite-images-indicate-severe-damage-fordow-doubts-remain-2025-06-22/">reported</a> on the satellite imagery of the Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday, citing experts who said that Fordo was &#8220;severely damaged — and possibly destroyed.&#8221; It could be difficult to confirm the extent of the damage to Fordo, however, as the nuclear centrifuges are buried approximately 300 feet underground — too deep for satellite images to provide an accurate assessment, researcher Decker Eveleth told Reuters.
The images show six holes where &#8220;bunker buster&#8221; bombs penetrated the ground at Fordo. &#8220;Bunker busters,&#8221; dropped by American B-2 Bombers, are designed to drive down to 200 feet underground before blowing up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Close-up view of the likely GBU-57 impact holes at Fordow, June 22: <a href="https://t.co/IgmYVS5Dwc">pic.twitter.com/IgmYVS5Dwc</a>
— Evan Hill (@evanhill) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanhill/status/1936819664962666853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The United States appeared to drop another &#8220;bunker buster&#8221; on the Natanz nuclear facility, &#8220;likely&#8221; destroying it, according to David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear inspector.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Close-up view of likely GBU-57 impact location at Natanz. Unclear as of this post how many GBU-57 munitions were used in this strike, June 15 (L) June 22 (R): <a href="https://t.co/dtwDE1okML">pic.twitter.com/dtwDE1okML</a>
— Evan Hill (@evanhill) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanhill/status/1936837529157750941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Iran&#8217;s Isfahan facility was hit by more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles fired from an American submarine. A senior Israeli official <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/06/22/iran-strikes-nuclear-site-damage-visuals/">told</a> The Washington Post that Isfahan was &#8220;annihilated,&#8221; while Spencer Faragasso, senior research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, said that Isfahan was “severely damaged&#8221; and knocked &#8220;out of operation.&#8221;
A satellite image of Isfahan shows numerous buildings destroyed or damaged from the U.S. missile strike.
<div id="attachment_938049" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-938049" class="wp-image-938049 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220784451-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220784451-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220784451-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220784451-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Satellite image (c) 2025 Maxar Technologies.</div>
&#8220;The damage to the Nuclear sites in Iran is said to be &#8216;monumental,'&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114728970221252806">said</a> in a Truth Social post earlier on Sunday. &#8220;The hits were hard and accurate. Great skill was shown by our military. Thank you!&#8221;

‘Obliteration Is An Accurate Term!’: Trump Says Iran Satellite Images Show ‘Monumental Damage’

Military

On Friday, the Oil Minister of Iran <a href="https://www.jpost.com/international/article-851626?utm_source=jpost.app.apple&amp;utm_medium=share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that Russia would fund the construction of a new nuclear plant in Iran.
“Iran and Russia will continue their cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the construction of new nuclear energy facilities and the completion of phases two and three of the Bushehr power plant using Moscow’s credit line,” Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/04/25/russia-fund-new-nuclear-power-plant-iran-bilateral-ties-deepen-amid-us-talks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Multilateral cooperation between Iran and Russia through membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and OPEC+ has led to the provision of common interests, peace, stability, and international security, and I am confident that this cooperation will deepen.”
“Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law officially ratifying a <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/04/22/russia-ratifies-strategic-partnership-iran-strengthening-military-ties/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20-year strategic partnership agreement with Tehran</a>, further deepening their military cooperation,” the Algemeiner reported.
In January, Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran, which <a href="https://irangov.ir/detail/456479" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>, “The Contracting Parties shall confirm their commitment to develop military-technical cooperation.”
In 2007, Russia sent 80 tons of uranium fuel to Iran to help the Islamist dictatorship build a nuclear reactor in Bushehr. Russia stood to gain $1 billion, since the plant was to be constructed by the Russian state-owned Atomstroyexport.
Russia’s ties with the terrorist group Hamas, which acts as a proxy for Iran, run deep; roughly two weeks after the Hamas massacre of more than 1,200 people in Israel in October 2023, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/garantex-russian-crypto-hamas-crime-sanctions-a3648357" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that a Moscow-based crypto exchange, Garantex, acted as a conduit for illicit funds for Palestinian terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre to finance their operations. “Digital wallets controlled by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which joined Hamas in the attacks, received a portion of $93 million via Garantex, according to analysis by researcher Elliptic, which said Hamas also used a similar financing strategy.”
“Russia has been actively engaged in expanding security and military ties with the Houthis, including providing weapons to the organization,” The Jamestown Foundation <a href="https://jamestown.org/program/russias-increases-ties-with-irans-axis-of-resistance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in November 2024. “Media reports indicate that Russian intelligence officers were spotted in the Houthis-held territory, and Moscow has even considered sending significant military support to the Iran-backed militia (<a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202409256862" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iran International</a>, September 25).”
“The <a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title22/chapter95&amp;edition=prelim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iran Freedom and Counterproliferation Act of 2013</a> prohibits the ‘sale, supply or transfer of certain materials to and from Iran related to the regime’s nuclear, military, and ballistic missile programs and allows the president to submit sanctions waivers every 180 days containing exemptions based on national security reasons,” the Foundation for Defense of Democracies <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/policy_briefs/2025/01/22/russia-touts-illicit-nuclear-work-in-iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in January. “Absent a waiver, the president is obliged to sanction foreign individuals and financial institutions that violate the act.&#8221;
The Obama administration issued waivers for certain Russian nuclear work in Iran as part of the 2015 nuclear deal, and upon taking office, the first Trump administration <a href="https://apnews.com/us-clamps-down-on-waivers-tied-to-irans-nuclear-cooperation-ef68a5ccab2f3e0b2247e0ebeda37147" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ended</a> U.S. participation in the agreement and the waivers. The Biden administration <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/biden-administration-restores-sanctions-waiver-iran-talks-final-phase-2022-02-04/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restored</a> the waivers soon after taking office to help restart Iran talks.

Iran-Life And Fun Under The Shadow Of Nuclear Power Plant

Russia Will Fund New Nuclear Plants In Iran

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