Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth launched a sharp attack on news media today during a Pentagon briefing, defending President Donald Trump's claims that American airstrikes "obliterated" key Iranian nuclear facilities.Hegseth accused reporters of wanting Trump to fail. "Because you cheer against Trump so hard. It’s in your DNA and your blood," said Hegseth. "Because you want him not to be successful so bad. You have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes."Hegseth’s comments came as multiple mainstream news outlets questioned the extent of damage to Iran's nuclear sites. Trump has also criticized reporters on social media..Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided the administration's most comprehensive account of the planning and execution of the Iranian strikes. The briefing was only Hegseth's second Pentagon news conference since taking office.The defence secretary criticized media coverage of a preliminary Defence Intelligence Agency report that suggested limited damage. Hegseth called it a "low confidence report" that wasn't coordinated with other intelligence agencies.Hegseth cited alternative assessments, including one from CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who said on Wednesday that the strikes "severely damaged" Iran's nuclear program. The defence secretary also referenced evaluations from Israel, the United Nations, and the International Atomic Energy Agency..Caine focused on the military aspects of the operation. Caine described how the vast majority of 10,000 personnel at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar were evacuated on June 23 before an expected Iranian retaliation.Only 44 soldiers remained behind to operate the Patriot missile defence. The oldest American soldier on the base was 28, while the youngest was 21.Caine praised analysts who spent years studying Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, which is buried inside a mountain. Military scientists developed the 30,000 pound GBU-57 bomb specifically for such targets.."The strike with the Massive Ordnance Penetrator was 15 years in the making," said Caine. During development, military scientists were the "biggest users of supercomputer hours in the United States of America."The Pentagon showed videos that appeared to demonstrate entrances and tunnels at Fordow collapsing under the force of the massive bombs. Caine explained how the weapons penetrated their targets using detailed diagrams."The weapons functioned as designed, meaning they exploded," said Caine.However, when asked directly whether the sites were “obliterated” as Trump claimed, Caine declined to use that language. .Caine said the military does not conduct "battle damage assessment" and leaves such evaluations to intelligence agencies.When asked if he faced pressure to provide an overly positive assessment, Caine was direct. "No, I have not and no, I would not," said Caine.The defence secretary took a more combative approach, criticizing media coverage of Trump's broader defence initiatives. Caine argued that reporters ignore positive developments like increased military recruitment across all service branches."Searching for scandals, you miss historic moments," said Hegseth, referring to what he called record recruitment levels in the Army, Air Force, and Navy.The Pentagon's presentation highlighted the complexity of the Iranian operation while defending the administration's characterization of its success. The contrast between Hegseth's political messaging and Caine's technical briefing reflected broader tensions over how military operations are portrayed to the public.
