Defense Secretary Hegseth and General Caine Address Public, Contradicting Initial Intelligence Assessments and Backing President’s Claims of Decisive Strikes
In a press conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine vehemently defended the impact of recent U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, asserting that the operation successfully “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The briefing, announced by President Trump late Wednesday, aimed to counter earlier intelligence assessments that suggested the strikes had only set back Iran’s program by a matter of months.
Secretary Hegseth wasted no time blasting media outlets for “breathlessly” reporting on what he described as a “preliminary, low confidence assessment” by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
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He accused the alleged leaker of having an “agenda to try to muddy the waters and make it look like this historic strike wasn’t successful.”
President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have consistently maintained that the use of multiple 30,000-pound bombs achieved a decisive blow against Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Other top intelligence officials have echoed this stance since the initial DIA assessment surfaced. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a statement confirming the nuclear sites were “destroyed,” while CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated Iran’s nuclear program had been “severely damaged.”
Celebrating “Our Boys and Bombers” and Criticizing “Obsession with Race and Gender”
During the press conference, a reporter challenged Secretary Hegseth on whether the department acknowledged female pilots in the mission, noting that early messages “only congratulated the boys.”
Hegseth defended his phrasing, stating, “When I say something like our boys and bombers see, this is the kind of thing that the press does right, of course.”
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He concluded by saying, “We’re very proud of that female pilot, just like I’m very proud of those male pilots, and I don’t care if it’s a male or a female in that cockpit and the American people don’t care, but it’s the obsession with race and gender… In this department, that’s changed priorities, and we don’t do that anymore. We don’t play your little games.”
General Caine, speaking at a news conference on Sunday, acknowledged that final assessments would take time, but emphasized that “initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”
The administration’s unified front seeks to solidify the narrative of a significant victory against Iran’s nuclear aspirations, pushing back against any suggestions of a limited impact.
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