Pete Hegseth Slams The Media In Response To Leaked Iran Report: WATCH
A leaked report claimed Fordow wasn't obliterated.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tore into the media during a Thursday morning press conference.
There is significant debate about the Iran strike unfolding over the past couple days following a leaked assessment claiming Fordow might not have been totally taken out.
Fordow is the crown jewel of Iran's nuclear program and buried deep underground. It was hit with 12 GBU-57 bunker busters dropped by B-2 stealth bombers.
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit is prepared for operations ahead of Operation MIDNIGHT HAMMER at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, June 2025. (Credit: United States Military, Air Force, Public Domain, https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9127325)
President Donald Trump claimed the site had been completely taken out, but the controversial leaked assessment said that might not be the case.
Trump has repeatedly doubled down on the fact it's been obliterated, and Hegseth is now also hitting back.
Pete Hegseth slams the media over leaked Fordow assessment.
Hegseth briefed the media, once again, during a Thursday press conference and listed off numerous different assessments countering the leaked one.
The Secretary of Defense also called out the media for undermining the success of the mission and the people who carried it out.
"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," a fired up Hegseth told the press.
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, also spoke with the media and broke down the specifics of how the weapons used on Fordow worked.
Caine revealed the bombs that hit Fordow moved at a speaker "greater than 1,000 feet per second."
Clearly, military leadership has supreme confidence the strike on Fordow was successful, despite the leaked assessment. My only advice in this situation is to be patient. A battle damage assessment of this size takes time, according to multiple people I've spoken with. Not only will it take time, but it will likely require people on the ground at some point to confirm intelligence gathered by satellites and SIGINT.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth briefed the media Thursday morning about the strike on Iran. (Photo by Cherie A. Thurlby/U.S. Air Force/Getty Images)
What do you think about the attack on Iran and competing narratives over the results at Fordow? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.