Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unloaded on CNN and The New York Times for their blatant attempts to downplay successful U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program, exposing how far the mainstream media will go to undermine Trump’s national security victories.
At a Glance
- Secretary Hegseth blasted CNN and The New York Times for reporting U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities were only “marginally successful”
- Major media outlets claimed the strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program “by a few months” despite evidence to the contrary
- President Trump confirmed Israeli intelligence reported “total obliteration” of the Fordow site
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe contradicted media reports, stating Iran’s facilities would need years to rebuild
- Iran’s own foreign ministry confirmed significant damage to its nuclear installations
Media’s Rush to Undermine National Security Success
In a fiery Pentagon press briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t mince words about why CNN and The New York Times were so quick to downplay the devastating impact of American airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. After allowing President Trump to step aside, Hegseth seized the moment to call out what has become an all-too-familiar pattern from mainstream outlets determined to sabotage any Trump administration achievement. Their rush to judgment wasn’t about accurate reporting – it was about advancing a political agenda designed to undermine American strength on the world stage.
“There’s a reason the president calls out fake news for what it is,” Hegseth declared during the briefing. “The instinct of CNN, the instinct of The New York Times, is to try to find a way to spin it for their own political reasons to try to hurt President Trump or our country.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss the effectiveness of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, coming after CNN, citing a classified assessment, said that the bombing did not significantly hamper the facilities and set back… pic.twitter.com/E3eUd1v2AT
— The New Region (@thenewregion) June 26, 2025
Intelligence vs. Media Narratives
The stark disconnect between reality and reporting couldn’t be more glaring. While CNN and The New York Times rushed to publish claims that the strikes merely “sealed off entrances” and left Iran’s nuclear program largely intact, intelligence officials were delivering a completely different assessment. The media’s narrative, based on what Hegseth described as preliminary intelligence of “low confidence,” deliberately ignored subsequent assessments that revealed extensive damage to critical infrastructure. This isn’t journalism – it’s narrative crafting designed to serve political ends rather than inform the American public about a significant national security operation.
“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth criticized the media during a Pentagon press briefing over reports on the effectiveness of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.”
The same outlets that have spent years pushing unverified leaks about national security matters suddenly became extremely cautious when reporting on a Trump administration success. Their eagerness to report failure and reluctance to acknowledge victory reveals the deep institutional bias that pervades these once-respected news organizations. The American people deserve better than media outlets that function as political operatives rather than honest brokers of information.
Confirmation of Destruction
Despite the media’s best efforts to diminish the strikes’ impact, evidence of their success came from multiple authoritative sources. President Trump himself revealed the Israeli assessment of the damage, reading directly from their intelligence report. “Israel’s guys went in there [Fordow] after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration,” Trump stated, demolishing the carefully constructed media narrative in a single sentence. The Israel Atomic Energy Commission’s assessment concluded the strikes had rendered key enrichment facilities completely inoperable and set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions by years – not the “few months” CNN had claimed.
“Israel’s guys went in there [Fordow] after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration”
Even more telling was CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s direct contradiction of the media reports, stating that credible evidence showed Iran’s nuclear program had been severely damaged. The most damning confirmation came from an unexpected source – Iran itself. The regime’s foreign ministry acknowledged significant damage to their nuclear installations, effectively conceding what CNN and The New York Times worked so hard to deny. When even your enemy admits they’ve been hit hard, perhaps it’s time for American media to reassess their reporting priorities.
A Pattern of Media Deception
This incident represents just the latest chapter in the mainstream media’s ongoing campaign to undermine American strength and security when it conflicts with their preferred political narrative. The knee-jerk instinct to downplay any Trump administration success has become so predictable it would be comical if the stakes weren’t so high. When media outlets prioritize partisan politics over accurate reporting on matters of national security, they aren’t just failing their journalistic duty – they’re actively undermining America’s position on the world stage and potentially emboldening our adversaries.
Hegseth’s frustration reflected what millions of Americans feel watching coverage that seems designed to make America look weak rather than celebrate when America projects strength. The media’s desperate scramble to reframe a significant military success as a failure isn’t just bad journalism – it’s a dangerous abdication of responsibility that serves neither the truth nor the American people. The next time CNN or The New York Times lecture about “speaking truth to power,” remember how quickly they abandon that principle when the truth doesn’t fit their agenda.
