Pentagon Defends Iran Strike Success Amid Leaked Intelligence Report

 

Pentagon officials defended the effectiveness of U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites following the leak of a preliminary intelligence report suggesting only limited damage. At a press conference on Thursday, General Dan Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented video footage showing bunker buster bombs hitting underground targets. Caine emphasized the bombs were the result of more than 15 years of development and testing.

The leaked Defense Intelligence Agency report, labeled a low confidence assessment, indicated the strikes may have delayed Iran's nuclear program by only a few months. Hegseth dismissed the report, accusing the leaker of attempting to undermine the operation. He emphasized that the damage was severe and criticized media coverage of the report, singling out Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin. When pressed about whether any enriched uranium had been relocated before the strikes, Hegseth said he had no intelligence suggesting anything was moved.

Griffin challenged Hegseth's response, defending her reporting accuracy and noting she had accurately described the mission details early on. Hegseth responded by accusing her of misrepresentation. Meanwhile,  President Trump weighed in on Truth Social, attacking outlets like CNN and The New York Times and praising the mission as a complete success.

Despite criticism of the media and the leaked assessment, officials acknowledged that full damage evaluations are ongoing. General Caine stated that while final results are pending, initial assessments indicate all three targeted Iranian nuclear sites suffered extremely severe damage. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe both supported that assessment, with Gabbard saying the sites were destroyed and Ratcliffe describing the program as severely damaged. The Pentagon continues to stand by the operation's success as more analysis is completed.

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