Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at a former Fox News colleague and Pentagon press corps member during a news conference Thursday when asked about the effectiveness of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“Do you have certainty that all the highly enriched uranium was inside the Fordo mountain?” Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin asked Hegseth. “There were satellites that showed more than a dozen trucks there two days in advance. Are you certain none of that highly enriched uranium was moved?”
“Of course, we’re watching every single aspect.” Hegseth said, before then berating Griffin. “Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst. The one who misrepresents the most intentionally.”
Griffin responded by saying she covered “the entire mission with great accuracy,” adding that she took “issue” with Hegseth’s attack.
Hegseth had previously defended the strikes, calling them “bold and brilliant.” His comments to Griffin come at a time of tension between the White House and press corps over the narrative of the success of the strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.
An internal Pentagon report was leaked to CNN that said the strikes damaged the facilities, but likely did not result in the “total obliteration” touted by President Donald Trump. The president called this report “very inconclusive.”
Trump has also called for the CNN reporter who broke the story, Natasha Bertrand, to be fired, saying she should be “thrown out like a dog.”
On Wednesday, in a post on X, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reported that “new evidence” showed the Iranian facilities “have been destroyed,”
“The propaganda media has deployed their usual tactic: selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments,” Gabbard said in the post, adding that the goal of the leak was “undermine” Trump’s leadership.
At the same time, European intelligence services are assessing that Iran’s stock of highly-enriched uranium likely remains largely intact, having been moved prior to the U.S. strikes.
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